Arteta lauds Morocco coach Regragui who attended a tactical seminar by the Arsenal coach
- Arteta has praised Regragui for his stellar job
- The Arsenal coach impressed the 47-year-old’s tactics in Qatar
- Regragui attended a coaching seminar conducted by Arteta in 2021
WHAT HAPPENED? Arteta lauded Regragui just hours after it emerged that the Morocco coach attended a tactics seminar, via Zoom, when the Arsenal manager was presenting, using the Gunners’ victory over Manchester City as one of the examples to explain his coaching philosophies one year ago.
This is Morocco manager Walid Regragui, attending a tactics seminar by Mikel Arteta, who displayed his ideas in the FA Cup final vs Man City.
— EuroFoot (@eurofootcom) December 13, 2022
This is a person with a willingness to learn & progress. Just 1 year on, he finds himself in the World Cup semi-final. He worked so hard. pic.twitter.com/ez4QxfnfR6
WHAT DID HE SAY? “The impact he’s having, he’s a total credit to them,” Arteta said in his post-match press conference after his side’s 2-1 victory over AC Milan on Tuesday.
“What he is doing is amazing, and what he is transmitting is great, and it’s a really positive thing for world football to have an African team at the stage. They’re one of four very select teams in this World Cup.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Regragui has earned praise for his tactical approach to Morocco’s matches at the World Cup where the North Africans have reached the semi-finals without conceding a goal from an opposition player.
The former Wydad Casablanca coach has made the Atlas Lions fearless and hard to beat, keeping at bay Croatia, Belgium, Spain and Portugal on their way to a historic semi-final.
Morocco have been deadly on the counter and set pieces, choosing the right moments to attack while staying solid at the back, making life difficult for their opponents and more of the same is expected when they face holders France on Wednesday.
WHAT’S MORE? Regragui’s tactics have been compared to Jose Mourinho’s and the former Chelsea and Manchester United manager has also been among those singing his praises.
“The coach organised the team very well [against Portugal], starting with 4-3-3, he was able to change during the game to 5-4-1. He saw the danger, he saw Portugal accumulating lots of players in finishing areas and he found a way to control the game,” said Mourinho.
WHAT’S NEXT? The 47-year-old will hope to add France to his stellar list of casualties when Morocco take on the defending champions in Wednesday’s semi-final.