Algeria Football– Two years after the historic run of the Atlas Lions at the 2022 World Cup, Walid Regragui returned with striking confidences about the victory against Spain in the round of 16. In a recent interview with The Teamthe Moroccan coach revealed new details on the mental preparation which allowed his players to eliminate one of the big favorites of the competition.
December 6, 2022 will remain engraved in the memory of Moroccan supporters. That day, Morocco achieved a resounding feat by eliminating Spain, world champion in 2010, after a controlled penalty shootout (0-0, 3-0 after tab.). To everyone’s surprise, the Lions of the Atlas, considered the “Little Thumbs” of this duel, were able to thwart the predictions thanks to meticulous mental preparation, skillfully orchestrated by Walid Regragui.
The Moroccan coach did not hesitate to play on a controversial element to motivate his team. Indeed, a rumor was circulating according to which Spain had deliberately finished second in their group to avoid Brazil in the quarters and ensure a more affordable opponent in the round of 16: Morocco. Regragui says: “I played hard on the rumor that Spain had finished second on purpose to face us. They took us for charlots, they thought they could easily pass against us. To motivate a team, there’s nothing better than having this kind of element to tell the players: ‘They don’t respect you.’ »
The Moroccan technician thus instilled a feeling of injustice in the minds of his players, a powerful psychological lever to unite the group and increase their motivation tenfold. Inspired by the methods of José Mourinho, this strategy has proven to be extremely effective.
Regragui insists on the maturity his team had acquired to approach the knockout matches: “We were able to differentiate between the group stage, which is like a championship, and the knockout stage, which is more like Cup matches. There, we perfectly assumed our role as Little Thumb. »
This galvanizing speech transcended the Atlas Lions, who delivered a heroic performance against La Roja. Thanks to an impassable defense, orchestrated by Romain Saïss and Nayef Aguerd, and an exceptional goalkeeper in the person of Yassine Bounou, Morocco held off the Spaniards for 120 minutes before eliminating them on penalties.
Beyond the feat against Spain, Morocco made history by becoming the first African team to reach the semi-finals of a World Cup. After eliminating Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal in the quarter-finals, the Atlas Lions continued to write their legend despite an honorable defeat against France in the semi-finals.
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