Coach Walid Regragui added, “There would be no change in their tactical approach as well.” He dismissed criticism of their defensive block and counter-attacking strategy. Coach Walid Regragui said that holders France posed too many individual threats to focus on just one threat, so Morocco has no specific plans to counter the threat posed by Kylian Mbappe in Wednesday’s World Cup semi-final.
Mbappe, who leads the tournament with five goals, received special attention from England in Saturday’s quarterfinal, but he was largely ineffective despite the French’s victory.
Regragui stated at a press conference on Tuesday in advance of the match at the Al Bayt Stadium that Morocco has no similar plans.
“There are also other good players in France. Ousmane Dembele complements Mbappe perfectly on the opposite wing, and Antoine) Griezmann is playing well between the lines. On the left side of the attack, Mbappe faces Morocco’s highly-rated right back, Achraf Hakimi, a Paris St. Germain teammate, and close friend.
Morocco will be looking to add France to their impressive trophy case in the semis, but they will need to get their players ready in time after their five games in Qatar. The coach stated that Morocco was still struggling with “a lot of injuries,” but players were recovering. Particular concerns surround the captain’s first-choice center-back pairing of Nayef Aguerd and Romain Saiss.
“They have been coming with good news, and we have an excellent medical team. However, we will not be able to select the team until the very last moment. Regragui added, “There would be no change in their tactical approach as well,” rejecting criticism of their defensive block and counter-attacking strategy. If you only get a few shots on goal, what good is 70 percent possession? He pressed.
“Everyone’s working, everyone is doing everything they possibly can inside and out and we play an aggregate game each time with a decent soul, which for me is everything in football. Morocco wants to go one step further by becoming the first Arab and African nation to reach the World Cup semi-finals. We’re confident, even though I know we’re not favorites. You might think I’m crazy, but I think it’s good to be crazy,” he said.