Morocco vs Canada: Protecting Bounou from Set Piece Danger

Morocco will need to watch one specific detail against Canada: the area around Yassine Bounou on corners. Opta statistics already show that the Canadians earn plenty of set pieces: 19 corners against Qatar, 7 against Switzerland and 4 against South Africa.

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But the danger doesn’t come solely from the number of set pieces. Against South Africa, Jonathan David, the Canadian number 10, regularly positioned himself right next to the opposing goalkeeper on corners. His role is clear: disrupt the goalkeeper’s reading of the play, disturb his exit and create congestion in the six-yard box.

For Bounou, this will be a major point of concern. A goalkeeper may have the trajectory, experience and good timing; if he’s blocked at the start of the action, everything becomes more complicated. On this type of phase, a simple screen can prevent an exit or delay an intervention.

Moroccan defenders will therefore need to protect their goalkeeper without falling into unnecessary duels. They must prevent David from settling freely in front of Bounou, occupy the six-yard box and attack the first ball with authority.

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Canada likes to build pressure through repetition: crosses, blocked balls, corners, second balls. Morocco will therefore need to defend the entire sequence, not just the initial cross. Facing a team so insistent in the box, the Lions of the Atlas must never leave Bounou alone in the traffic.