Netherlands Morocco World Cup: Dutch spot Lions weakness

The Dutch press has closely followed the Lions of the Atlas. And the view of the Moroccan team is far from uniform. After the draw against Brazil, NOS had praised a team capable of dominating the Seleção for an entire half. The Dutch public broadcaster wrote that Morocco had "forgotten to hurt Brazil," after being "in control" of the game before the break, with plenty of speed, movement, and a Brazilian team often in difficulty.

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This positive impression was confirmed a few days later against Scotland. Again, NOS saw a dominant Morocco, led by Ismael Saibari, who scored in the opening seconds. The Dutch media, however, noted a first flaw: the Lions of the Atlas failed to kill off the match despite their superiority.

Real respect, but a weakness already identified

The most flattering portrait came from another NOS article dedicated to Mohamed Ouahbi’s new Morocco. The media describes a team that is "refreshing," "adventurous," and "offensive." Former Moroccan internationals interviewed in the Netherlands even compare certain playing principles to those of Barcelona: intense pressing, assured ball distribution, false nine, mobile players between the lines.

In this Dutch reading, Morocco is no longer simply the compact and cautious team of the 2022 World Cup. It is presented as a selection that wants to play, press, and take risks. Ayyoub Bouaddi is described as the great discovery, while Saibari is seen as one of the team’s strong men, capable of providing depth and additional support between the lines.

But the last match against Haiti changed part of the tone. Morocco’s 4-2 victory qualified the Lions of the Atlas, but it also fueled doubts. NOS highlighted that Morocco had fallen behind twice before turning the match around. The media also emphasized the Moroccan ball losses, which allowed Haiti to create dangerous opportunities.

This weakness was taken up much more harshly by Ibrahim Afellay. The former Dutch international of Moroccan origin, now a consultant for NOS, believes that Ronald Koeman has no reason to "lose sleep" after seeing Morocco against Haiti. According to him, Moroccan ball losses would be immediately punished by a team like the Netherlands, which is faster in attack.

Voetbal International adopts a more cautious reading. The media recalls that Morocco and Brazil are two high-level opponents for the Oranje, respectively in the world’s top tier, and that their direct confrontation ended in a draw. VI therefore does not present Morocco as an easy draw, but as one of two major possible obstacles on the Dutch path.

RTL Nieuws and Sportnieuws mainly emphasize the importance of the scenario: a first-place finish for the Netherlands would send the Oranje against Morocco, while a second-place finish could direct them toward Brazil. In the Dutch media, Morocco has thus become more than a possible opponent: it is the name that now accompanies all projections around the Dutch path.

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The conclusion is quite clear: the Netherlands respect Morocco, but believe they have identified a weakness. The first version of Morocco, the one that dominated Brazil and stifled Scotland, genuinely worries the Dutch press. The second, more chaotic against Haiti, conversely gives ammunition to those who see the Oranje capable of doing serious damage on the counter-attack.