Morocco 2022 World Cup Preview 🇲🇦🦁

And just like that another World Cup rolls around and for the second consecutive edition, Morocco will be in attendance. Reflecting back to four and a half years ago in Russia, the Atlas lions under Herve Renard gave a good account of themselves overall but ultimately lacked the end product, finishing bottom of their group.

To the present and the team has gone through a lot of change. Experienced players such as Mehdi Benatia, Karim El Ahmadi and Mbark Boussoufa have all retired and the head coach has changed twice.

In 2019, Bosnian Vahid Halilhodzic was appointed, with his time in charge dominated by high profile bust-ups with key players Hakim Ziyech and Noussair Mazraoui. He led the Atlas lions to a disappointing quarter final exit to Egypt at the 2022 AFCON but ultimately qualified Morocco to the World Cup. However, after much talk surrounding his on-field tactical approach and off the field issues, Halilhodzic was sacked just months before this tournament and replaced by Walid Regragui.

Regragui, a former Moroccan international, had just completed a memorable season with Wydad AC, winning the league as well as the African Champions League. Playing just three official friendly matches before the World Cup opener against Croatia, the 47-year-old has not had a lot of time to work with his squad but the atmosphere on and off the pitch has definitely improved since his arrival.

The Squad

The big news is obviously the return of Chelsea winger Hakim Ziyech, who had previously stated that he had retired from the national team as long as Halilhodizic remained in charge. West Ham United defender Nayef Aguerd is also back in the squad having recently returned from a serious ankle injury. Regragui has recalled forward Abderrazak Hamdallah, who has had issues in previous Morocco's camps. There was a surprise call-up for 18-year-old Genk central midfielder Bilal El Khannouss as the youngster has experienced a breakout season in the Belgian League. And a late addition to the squad list was Burnley winger Anass Zaroury after his excellent start to life in the English Championship.

The notable omissions include brothers Samy and Ryan Mmaee, who were both guaranteed selections under the previous head coach. Ayoub El Kaabi also misses out despite scoring five goals in World Cup qualifying. The most unfortunate absentee is Amine Harit, who had originally been selected in the squad but suffered an awful knee injury in Marseille's final game before the tournament. Adam Masina, Imran Louza and Tarik Tissoudali also miss out through injury.

The main takeaway from the make-up of the list is the selection of just three recognised full backs in Achraf Hakimi, Noussair Mazraoui and Yahia Attiat-Allah, so if in the unlikely case that two of them were to be injured or suspended, it would leave Morocco with a big problem to fix.

The Group

Morocco were drawn into Group F, alongside the 2018 runners-up Croatia, the 2018 third-placed team Belgium and Canada, who qualified top of CONCACAF. On paper, they are up against it, just as they were at the last edition with Spain and Portugal.

Croatia have continued their impressive form under head coach Zlatko Dalic, recently topping their Nations League group which contained World Cup holders France, Denmark and Austria. Many of the ageing players that played at the last tournament such as Daniel Subasic, Ivan Rakitic and Mario Mandzukic have retired from international football, but they held onto the core of that squad, with the addition of some talented younger players like central defender Josko Gvardiol and left back Borna Sosa. The trio of Luka Modric, Marcelo Brozovic and Matteo Kovacic is as good as any midfield in the tournament and Ivan Perisic is still dangerous on the left wing. Their big weakness is the lack of a top striker as the Croats have yet to fill the hole left by Mandzukic.

Onto Belgium, who are still managed by Roberto Martinez and are ranked number two in the world by FIFA and possess one of the best midfielders in the world in Kevin De Bruyne. His passing ability coupled with his incredible vision makes him unplayable on his day. They have, however, struggled in recent times as their golden generation of players has started to subside. In their Nations League campaign, they finished second in their group, losing twice to the Netherlands and drawing to Wales. Egypt also beat them 2-1 in a pre-tournament friendly. Belgium's all-time leading scorer Romelu Lukaku comes into the World Cup with an injury and could miss their first few games while Eden Hazard is a shadow of the player he was a few years ago at Chelsea. The defence is where there big weaknesses lie as although they possess a world-class goalkeeper in Thibaut Courtois, the three centre backs in front of him have not been convincing, expecially the two veterans in Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld. They are susceptible on the counter attack due to their lack of pace.

And finally Canada, who shouldn't be underestimated. Under coach John Herdman, they have risen from 72nd in the FIFA rankings in 2018 to 33rd and possess some dangerous attacking threats. Their star is obviously Bayern Munich's Alphonso Davies, who plays further forward for the national team. He could easily exploit space left by Achraf Hakimi in transition with his raw pace and dribbling ability. Not only him, but their team also contains arguably the most in-form striker in the entire group with Lille's Jonathan David. He has scored nine and assisted three in Ligue 1 this season. A more unfamiliar name who is vital to Canada is Stephen Eustaquio. The Porto central midfielder has been on top form for the Portuguese side, scoring four and assisting four in the league and Champions League this season. The lack of experience at a major tournament could be the Canadian's main downfall as well as having a relatively weak defence compared to the other teams in the group.

Setup and Predicted XI

Walid Regragui has had three official games to try and stamp his blueprint on the Morocco national team. His first match ended in a 2-0 over Chile in a mostly dominant display. The second was a 0-0 draw with Paraguay, where some issues started to appear, especially the balance of the midfield. And finally, Morocco beat Georgia 3-0 which saw the Atlas lions create many big chances in the first half whereas in the second half, they lacked rhythm and fluidity.

In all three games, Morocco played with a 4-3-3 and attacked mainly down the wings. They played out from the back on most occasions, even when the opposition were pressing high. Hakim Ziyech drifted inside at times to allow Achraf Hakimi to bomb forward. They seem to have struck up a good relationship on the right-hand side, which could be vital in unlocking defences. Sofyan Amrabat was deployed in his familiar role in front of the back four, with Azzedine Ounahi and Selim Amallah in front of him. Sofiane Boufal occupied the left hand side and it looks like Youssef En-Nesyri will be starting up front.

Out of possession, it was evident that Regragui wanted a solid 4-1-4-1 structure to make it difficult for the opposition to break down. On occasion, the midfield were too open on turnovers, which left Amrabat on his own with two of three players to mark. If this happens against quality sides like Croatia and Belgium, Morocco will be in trouble.

One to Watch

This tournament could give Angers midfielder Azzedine Ounahi the platform to really establish himself as a name in world football. The 22-year-old really showed his capabilities in the 2nd leg of the World Cup play-off match against DR Congo where he scored twice. His technical ability with the ball at his feet is mesmerising at times and it's no shock that he has some of the best dribbling numbers in Europe this season. Ounahi glides past defenders and has become a key player in this Morocco team. If he improves on his decision-making in the final third and end product, he could earn a huge move in the future.

Prediction

Morocco have been handed a tough draw once again and with Regragui having such little time to build a team in his image, the Atlas Lions are up against it if they want to make the round of 16. The real hope is that the team play without fear as they did in 2018, but stay calm and composed when they get their chances in front of goal. It feels like there is a real belief in the squad that they can upset the odds and I believe they can make it out of this group, which would be an unbelievable achievement.

Dima Maghib!