Morocco’s World Cup Hopes Face Scrutiny as Regragui and Ziyech Draw Criticism

The Moroccan national team is experiencing a kind of "disorder" within it, particularly in terms of the style of play, and there are "uncontrolled" aspects that need to be corrected, comments sports analyst Hicham Ramram to Al3omk. According to him, the arrival of Brahim Díaz, as expected, will be troublesome for some players. He wonders to what extent Walid Regragui is able to bring his protégés together and restore the image of the Atlas Lions as it appeared during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. The sports analyst did not fail to criticize the protests and anger of Hakim Ziyech and Youssef En-Nesyri towards the coach of the Atlas Lions after their substitution. This behavior raises several questions, although the national team is close to qualifying for the 2026 World Cup, he points out. Speaking about the performance of Regragui’s protégés who managed to beat Zambia 2-1, Ramram stressed that the result always takes precedence over the performance, indicating that there is a big difference in the management of the issue of performance and result in all national teams.

For his part, Moroccan journalist Khalid Yassine does not appreciate Walid Regragui’s insistence on relying on the duo Hakim Ziyech and Brahim Díaz on the same flank as Achraf Hakimi and Azzedine Ounahi, during Friday’s match. Explaining his position, he points out that the performance of the Atlas Lions improved after the exit of the former Ajax star in the second half, which allowed Díaz to play more freely and be behind the team’s second goal against Zambia. "I think we are paying the price today for complacency towards certain players. Hakim Ziyech did not want to come out and showed his anger towards coach Walid Regragui and the technical staff. This is an irresponsible behavior, of unprofessional players. When we see him like this, we understand why three coaches have succeeded at Chelsea Football Club," he added, noting that "there is a problem of mentality in the player." And he continued: "Zinedine Zidane is replaced, Haaland is replaced, the image he has given of himself today is very bad, the problem must be solved before it gets worse."

"I consider it was a good match against a team that relies on counter-attacks, and what matters to me for the moment are the three points and qualification for the World Cup. Playing in June is not easy, we are progressing gradually and the essential thing is the victory," Regragui said at the post-match press conference. He also spoke about the anger of Ziyech and En-Nesyri after their substitution in the second half: "It’s good that they are angry, I always say that the player who doesn’t get angry when he is substituted is not a competitor, and it shows that they wanted to stay on the pitch and help, and the essential thing is the team." And he added: "It is I who make the decisions, and I felt that at that moment we needed a striker. Ziyech was injured last week, and we have a match on Tuesday. My task is also to protect him, and since I have many options, I have to take advantage of them."

The next match of the Atlas Lions will be on June 11. They will face the team of the Republic of Congo Brazzaville, at the Grand Stade d’Agadir, starting at 8:00 p.m.