It’s Argentina’s World Cup in Qatar, but before Lionel Messi’s magical moment, the other team that lit up this tournament was Morocco. They became the first African team to reach the semi-finals, knocking out European heavyweights along the way.

In the process, Morocco not only succeeded, but became a symbol, an inspiration. Their defensive organization combined with incredible intensity makes them difficult to play, let alone beat. Everything is even more remarkable when you consider the preparation time.

Walid Regragui is the coach who has made it happen, but he only took charge of his first game less than two months before the World Cup. The speed with which he motivated this group of players was astonishing and is a testament to his coaching ability.

“We only had a few months to quickly refocus the players, get them used to the system I wanted to implement and get them to buy into it,” Reglagi told us sky sports. “I’m glad they accepted it. We showed what this national team is really like.”

It changes lives. “The status of many players has changed – and so has Moroccan football.” They won more games that month than at all previous World Cups combined. “It had a huge global media impact,” he said. “Managing success is not easy.”

The price was paid later in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, when Morocco was unexpectedly eliminated by South Africa. “This forces us to think about the future. We have to revitalize the team and think about short-term and long-term goals.”

Building a new team for the Africa Cup of Nations

Now, under Reguraj, Morocco will host this month’s Africa Cup of Nations tournament, the longest winning streak in men’s international football history. Breaking the Spanish team’s record of 15 games against Congo, the current record reaches 18 games. This is a new team.

In a sense, this is the legacy of Regraj’s work in Qatar, although it also reflects hope for the future. Morocco has qualified for next summer’s World Cup and is one of the hosts of the next edition. It helps convince players to choose them.

“When you offer them the opportunity to reach the World Cup semi-finals and have the opportunity to play in the next two World Cups, it makes it much easier.” And Leverkusen’s Eliyes Ben Segier, just 20 years old. Bilal El Khannouss, who currently plays for Stuttgart, is only 21 years old.

Real Madrid’s Brahim Diaz has no longer committed to Spain. Roma player Neil Elnawi and Sunderland’s Chemsdine Talbi, who were born in France and Belgium respectively, are also among them. Barcelona-born Ismail Sabari is PSV’s top scorer and has made a huge impact.

“All these guys I tried to bring in after the World Cup,” Reglagi explained. Some will get a taste of it at the 2024 Olympics. Others have been added. “We are delighted to have brought in a young player like Talbi. Today, the results so far are as follows.”

The challenge with relying on a young squad is to find consistency and cope with the unprecedented pressure Morocco will face at this World Cup. The weight of this expectation was what Reglaji was thinking now, even heavier than the weight of opposition.

Coping with pressure and expectations

Morocco has not won the Africa Cup of Nations in nearly 50 years. “It was a game that didn’t bring us much success,” he admitted. In fact, he was still a player when the team last reached the final, in 2004, when Tunisia defeated Tunisia 2-1.

“I know how difficult it is for our country to perform in these games. Is it mentally? Is it adapting to the style of play? There are a lot of issues that we are working on and making progress over time to resolve the situation,” he explained.

However, in the end there is no escaping the truth. Morocco is looking forward to it. “The pressure and responsibility are enormous. This is a really passionate country. When we talk about passion, some of the emotions become difficult to control,” he added.

“The public has been waiting for too long and they can’t stop thinking. As a coach you understand the responsibility. Every day, in the streets, wherever we are in Morocco, there’s not a single person who doesn’t tell me that we absolutely have to win.”

How did he deal with this problem? Take all the pressure on your shoulders. “I would try to protect the players first so they don’t feel it. Because if they are affected, then it will be more difficult to play freely – and that’s the last thing we want.”

He continued: “It’s often complicated to put yourself in the center of media attention, but this is a way, a way to focus the attention on me and take responsibility. I prefer people criticizing me rather than criticizing my players – no one touches them.”

Regraj’s coaching history

Regraj began his coaching career at the age of 37 as an assistant coach of the national team. “This allowed me to get started quickly and learn quickly.” This was followed by five years at FUS in Rabat. “A club that allows me to work,” he said. “This is very rare in the Moroccan league.”

In Rabat he “was able to win titles, test numerous game systems and tactical concepts, promote young players and strengthen and grow” before gaining a different experience with Duhail in Qatar. There he won championships and worked with big-name players.

Former Bayern Munich and Juventus duo Mario Mandzukic and Medy Benatia are among his students. “It helped me learn quickly how to manage experienced players, players who were playing at a very, very high level in their game,” he said.

Returning to Morocco, Vida achieved his greatest career success in club management at Casablanca. Regraj led the team to success in the 2022 Champions League, defeating Al Ahli in the final in front of 80,000 fans. This earned him the job in Morocco.

“It was a challenge I set for myself. It was not an easy challenge, one of the toughest, but I succeeded. It also helped me grow in terms of dealing with the mass pressure of a legendary club, with the obligation to win every game every day.”

His coaching philosophy continues to evolve. Initially, like many others, he was inspired by Pep Guardiola and Marcelo Bielsa. “They became legends in the coaching world because of their mindset and their style of play.” But the realities of the job required compromise.

“Once you build a team, you quickly realize that you are dependent on the resources and players available. Naturally, I develop based on the players I have and what I can implement. I think I have become a chameleon coach.”

This was particularly evident in Qatar, where Morocco beat Spain with 23% possession and Portugal with 27%. “We are more of a counter-attacking team with a very solid, compact defense and a lot of intensity in tight areas,” Reglagi said.

“It wasn’t my style at the beginning of my career, but I knew that, given the limited time we had, it was the only way to do well at the World Cup. So I had to adapt. A coach has to be flexible and adaptable to be a top coach.”

“After the World Cup we evolved naturally with the players who joined us, the quality of the squad and the fact that we are now facing teams with the same style that I played at the World Cup. Today we are more of a possession-based, proactive team.

“My desire is to have possession of the ball but to play at a high tempo with as few touches as possible to overload the opponent. When we concede the ball, be a pressing and counter-pressing team to prevent the opponent from causing us problems.”

“I don’t really change our basic system of play because in football, the defensive system is what really defines the formation. Offensively, the system means less because I give my players space to move freely and create different offensive structures.”

Finding these patterns in international football is difficult. “We have to rebuild everything every time with different players, different partnerships. Players have to pick up ideas quickly.” But Reglagi remains unbeaten at home. So there are those huge expectations.

Hopefully, Paris Saint-Germain full-back Achraf Hakimi will be fully fit before the game gets into full swing and be the player to lift the trophy at the end of the game. For Reglagi, the goal now is to see this as a moment of embrace rather than fear.

“I think this is a great opportunity for me and my players to go down in history,” he concluded. “It inspired me, challenged me and made me focus on every detail. “Beyond that World Cup will be tough. But winning glory for Morocco in Rabat next month will certainly do that.