Morocco vs Cape Verde: Not Ready For PrimeTime

01/24/13

Otman Affaya

North Carolina / Morocco News  Board--   It is a really disappointing Moroccan performance. Like a millions of Moroccan fans home and abroad we know that the Moroccan football is in deep crisis, but this game reminded us of the real symptoms of the illness. 

The diagnosis shows a lack mental stability, emotional disturbance and physical fatigue that disrupted the players and the coaching staff from performing. After been given a chance to represent a country and show their skills, their knowhow, they did not show up to play. Is it the pressure, the media, the climate, lack of resources, equipments or food? No at all, I think is a lack of belief in self, and in each other.

I think a lack of right and effective preparation was exhibited yesterday, sometimes you could prepare for one thing and you forget other things. The team was not prepared mentally, emotionally to face the game. The team was not prepared to deal with game issues when they arise, and how to solve them. I understand the nerves and emotions were high and took a toll on everybody from the beginning of the game. You could see it on the faces of the coaching staff and players. I understand it created a high pressure on the team, and that pressure sucked the energy out of them, and the talent those players have. Maybe for a few minutes but not for the entire half and so till they forget how to play, heavy legs causes a lot of turn overs of the ball, excessive faults around the box had given chance for the opponents to capitalize, and to increase pressure on the team to make more mistakes. So the whole team focused on defend more instead of slowing down, get organized and play your game. The right touch vanished, simple pass becomes difficult, control of the ball becomes hard, and we started see the shape of the team disappeared. All this created an individual and collective chaos in the first half.

Really, is that what we are capable of? Exhibit of a poor judgment, bad decisions, making big mistake one after one, losing team composure. Demanding the ball to give it back to the opponent quicker. The team was lost in sixty minutes, if it was not for the saves the goalkeeper lamayghri made, the damage will be greater.

Well this team did not showed any leaders to remind the players of their duties. This team does not have a backbone structure meaning a strong defense leader, midfield playmaker except Barrada sporadically during a second half, no effective striker. Players showed no communication skills between them, my understanding football is universal language, and you do not need to speak one language. Everyone looks lost, hiding in their cocoon or relying on others to do something.  Matter of fact this behavior created a big space between the lines that forced the team to defend deep and absorb the pressure. Setting up a wall was a difficult for a player to do. Linking between players becomes rare. Team lost its chemistry, no sign of collective work, players becomes slow, and mistakes becomes greater. Overall football basics vanished. Football is simple game no need to make it more complex.

Sure we do have crucial game against South Africa, and if we do not address those issues effectively: first by overcoming the external factors that causes this pressure, by shifting it from negative into positive, players needs to be reminded of their success, their knowhow to boost their confidence. Second know your team physical capability give them time to recover to be fit for next game. Third by now we should put the right players that are prepared to play and willing to make the difference, otherwise we are going.

Finally, I want to see actions on the field and talk about it as much as you want. Win or go home!!

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Comments (7)  

 

+2 #1 RE: Morocco vs Cape Verde: Talk no actions — Isam 2013-01-24 12:09

Otman,
I respect your analysis, unfortunately you are missing the real issue here and our friend Qnitri has touched on it.

We simply do not have have a good enough players to represent Morocco. The National team is formed with OK players but in order to produce great results, you need to have players in the caliber. Other than Amrabat who was ok, no one can even outrun the opponent.
Assaidi, did couple of good games Against Algeria and Mozambique, but now he is not producing.
Belhanda , other than the name and fame he was frustrated at all all time, he expected the ball to be given to him instead of fighting for it, Ahmadi has cost us a goal when he lost the ball and did not even care to go get it back. Benatia is not what he used to be, He's probably tired, El Arabi was never a caliber player, he wastes more than he scores, Achchakir is taking to many unnecessary risks and that could cost the next game, al adoua is weak compared with the opponent, maghayri could have saved the goal yesterday and he almost got us to lose against angola, Hamdaoui has got to go, he has been non existent since one shot he made against Angola, Bergdich was breathing so hard as if he was on drugs,
Berrada was the only player fighting his heart out, the youngest player showed great fighting spirit, he would dribble, one , two, three opposing players just to advance the ball because the other players were not on the field.

I think this team should pack and go home, even if some miracle takes place and they go to the next round, we have much work to do to find players who are good.

The emphasis now in Morocco after the departure of Geret is to find players who have a fighting spirit and that is wrong, the emphasis should be on finding amazing players, players that are very talented, talented players make the difference, and fighting spirit is natural when players play for the country.

Back in the days we uses to say, wow dolmy, haddaoui, timmoumi , bouderbala, Namris, lbyaz....we can't say that about anyone now.

The only hope we have right now is Berrada, lah irdi 3lih, the rest they need to go. Really they need to go.

I m not saying this because I am mad or frustrated, I am saying it because that's what needs to be done in order for us to have a team of the future.

I do have to say that F@&@&@@^@ referee yesterday was very biased and sided with Cape verde. He was terrible and when you have a referee who is trying everything to mess you up, it is very hard to concentrate on the game.

He did us favor though when he carded Belhanda, we don't need him against South Africa. He is probabaly still injured, who knows.

Taoussi needs to take a chance with Hafidi and sit Essaidi. He is young and fast and can make a difference centry the ball to the red zone. Now at least we know how valuable was chammakh and hajji to this team. At lease two can score.

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0 #2 RE: Morocco vs Cape Verde: Not Ready For Prime Time — Isam 2013-01-24 14:14

The question Mr Hassan is when Tindouf and the Polisario has something to do with terror, why is it that France, Spain, and the US are keeping their mouth shut?

Is it Algerian oil? or is it because it is verifiable that the polisario IS against terror?

It does not make sens to me that these groups are threatening the security of the Maghreb and no one is saying a thing about it including Morocco.

If the Polisario is such a pest why is it that no one is accusing it or even insinuating that it is harboring and recruiting terrorist groups.

Right now , we have nothing on the polisario, they are outsmarting us because our King does not have competent people around him.

This otmani the foreign minister is Psychologist and an Imam, what do you expect? Before him we has Fassi Fihri who is equally incompetent and before him we Benhissa who almost caused us to go war against Spain.

I know they are people here who like to blame our king for others' incompetence from the comfort of their computing device, the truth of the matter is that out king is the best thing that Morocco has to offer.

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+1 #3 Riding lopsided — Noureddine Boutahar 2013-01-24 14:20

There is a Moroccan bon-mot which has its origin in the following anecdote: Once, a knight led his men off to fight with a neighboring tribe. It was not long before news came that the knight had been the first to be killed. Upon hearing this, everyone in the tribe was surprised. Everyone, that is, except the town fool. "That guy was riding lopsided when they set out," he exclaimed. Ever since, this statement has been used to describe any endeavor that starts off on the wrong foot. Most reforms in this country, including the FRMF reforms, usually ride lopsided.

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0 #4 RE: Morocco vs Cape Verde: Not Ready For PrimeTime — Isam 2013-01-25 12:01

Here is the pre match press conference,

you be the judge

frmf.ma/equipes-nationales/2602-can-2013-maroc-vs-cap-vert.html

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-4 #5 goal equal palace — mbt 2013-01-25 12:41

It was frustrating watching the football, friend of mine almost threw his mint tea on the TV to wake up the players. Football needs money to attract the best of the best like everything else in life. Mediocre play will not get you cups, maybe a bribe from the king of a palace each would have helped.

Maybe in a decade we will have a good team if, and it is a big if, we recognize and nurture and give what it takes to make a player on the field, I suppose that goes in the politics too.

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+2 #6 RE: Morocco vs Cape Verde: Not Ready For PrimeTime — Isam 2013-01-25 14:49

When you criticize and blame our king in every post, you render your posts irrelevant and not so intelligent.

You want the king to eliminate poverty, make everyone honest, score goals, win trophies, change the toilet paper, sweep the streets.

I would suggest that you listen to your post before you send them on.

We want to have quality posts here, you are making Moroccans looking pretty bad when you incessantly place all the blame on the king.

Com'on dude, take the Moroccan out of you.

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+1 #7 Who is responsible? — Tijani 2013-01-29 09:27

The Moroccan national team is full of very talented players. Put together however, they are a very mediocre team, which is a clear indication of the incompetence of the coaching staff.
You can clearly see how Morocco dominated the first 20 minutes. They suffocated the South African players to the point where they couldn't pass the midfield line. As soon as Morocco's relentless pressure lead to the first goal, the coach showed his true incompetence by adopting a fully defensive strategy with the wrong personal. Defending for another 70 minutes is always a bad idea. Defending with an offensive minded players is a TERRIBLE idea. What he should have done is take one of the forwards out and put a hardened midfielder in a 4-5-1 formation to eliminate all the space in the midfield and force South Africa to play long ball. The Moroccan defensive won almost every aerial challenge.
The better strategy however is to actually play the next 70 minutes with same tactics of the first 20. Keep the pressure on, the South African defense was weak and lacked technical ability on the ball.
Once again Moroccan soccer is dealt a humiliating exit. At what point does upper management feel accountable for their failures? Some one needs to be fired. I just don't know who is responsible for pulling the trigger.

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