Apart from Lionel Messi winning the major career trophy in his probably last World Cup, this FIFA’s competition in Qatar will also be remembered as the place where an African team reached the semi-final for the first time in history. Morocco eliminated Spain and Portugal before eventually losing to France in the semis. But the commitment of the players, the energy, the discipline and the passion of the whole team got them many applauses and a place in hearts of football fans around the world. In a lengthy interview for L’ Equipe, Morocco coach Walid Regragui explained how he motivated players and who was his favorite team to win the tournament.Morocco 🇲🇦 coach Walid Regragui has been nominated for The Best FIFA Men’s Coach of the Year after he made history at the World Cup guiding the Atlas Lions to the semifinals. The other nominees include:🇦🇷 Lionel Scaloni🇫🇷 Didier Deschamps🇮🇹 Carlo Ancelotti 🇪🇸 Pep Guardiola pic.twitter.com/QRiUROtYPG— Usher Komugisha (@UsherKomugisha) January 12, 2023 After taking the reigns over from Vahid Halilhodzic just months before a trip to Qatar, Regragui managed to get to the players in time and make them play as he wanted. Eventually, they were stopped against France, and Morocco coach admitted that the quality of their opponent prevailed at the end. But he didn’t tell that to his players at half time. “At half-time, I told my players that it was the worst team since the start of the knockout matches. I am talking about this match, of course, not from France in general, which is a great team! That’s why there was this regret at the end, but I’m not naïve. The very, very high level, you always think you’re not far away but, in fact, you’re far away. The step was a little too high for us. Then, third place against Croatia (1-2), with one less recovery day, fewer players, it was complicated” explained Regragui. Regragui: ‘Next time, God willing’According to the Morocco coach, Spain was the favorite to win the tournament, but they ran into the Atlas Lions who stopped them. He also found it easy to motivate players ahead of the Red Fury duel. “It’s the best team we’ve played, If we didn’t take them out, they could have gone all the way. They lacked the striker, perhaps, but they have certainties in the game that the other nations do not have. To prepare for this match, it was quite simple, since the press had explained that they had lost against Japan (1-2) on purpose, so they could face Morocco. “They don’t respect you” was the message to my players basically. Besides, a lot of guys here play in Spain. We knew we would suffer, that we could only go through a mouse hole. Moreover, Ounahi, Amrabat and En-Nesyri all broke their race records” revealed Regragui. ##NAJAVA_MECA_6945074##Morocco players were motivated against all their opponents, and one of the reasons for that was the pep talk of their coach. Regraugi was so into it that he was talking to his players about winning the competition. He even visited the stadium where the finals would be played, filmed it, and showed it to the players. “And we weren’t that far away! I told them that only Brazil could beat us, to tickle them a little. And when Brazil was eliminated, I warn them: ‘The team that could beat us is out, don’t worry’” revealed Regragui.
