Hope #1: That they can catch a couple of teams off-guard.
When the initial draw came out there were many that looked at Group B and saw a two horse race between Spain and Portugal. Iran and in particular Morocco were largely perceived as afterthoughts, cannon fodder, places where the two powers could pad their Goal Differential. But then the rosters came out and something became apparent: Morocco is loaded. Their 23 man roster includes players playing significant minutes for Real Madrid (Medhi Benatia), Real Madrid (Achraf Hakmi), Lille (Manuel de Costa), and 17 players playing in the top flights of Belgium, England, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Turkey.
Head Coach Herve Renard understands how important the element of surprise is in a tournament like this. Although it is his first World Cup, he has previously led minnows Zambia (2014) and a Drogba-less Ivory Coast (2015) to Africa Cup of Nations titles. In this round of qualification, his Moroccan side defied expectations by getting past the Ivory Coast and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s Gabon to secure their spot in Russia.
Morocco might not walk away with 9 points out of Group B but they will get points.
Hope #2: That they can solve the Iranian defense.
The key match for The Atlas Lions is their encounter with Iran on matchday two. It is an interesting match teeming with social and political implications but also because there will be a real test between Morocco’s high-flying attack and Iran’s iron-clad defense. Iran sees every inch of territory on the pitch as being something worth contesting and do not give midfielders much space to work with.
During qualification Morocco played an opponent with a similar style in the Ivory Coast. Using quick one touch passes from center midfielder Mbark Boussoufa (Al-Jazira) to his outside midfielders they were eventually able to open up the Ivorian defense enough to create creases of space for Benatia and Nabir Dirar. It took some serious effort but the end result was three points and a win on the road in Abidjan. If they can unlock Iran’s defense then they will be one step closer to a knockout round appearance.
Hope #3: That they can hold their own in the defense against Portugal and Spain.
Benatia and the Moroccan defense are going to have their hands full against Portugal and Spain, who can make the transition from defense to attack with the snap of their fingers. Both sides like to force their opponents to play cat and mouse, chasing them around the pitch until space opens up. Benatia has to keep his defensive midfielders organized and avoid making the mistake of following. Any wrinkle of space that Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) or Diego Costa (Spain) can find will be exploited. Through qualification they made zero mistakes en route to six clean sheets. That might be a tall ask given their competition but their supporters will be hopeful that they can at least hold their ground.
The big fear: That the pressure and expectations might be too much.
This is a very big moment for Moroccan soccer with their national team back in the World Cup for the first time since 1998 and their football association currently applying to host the 2026 World Cup. Although a decision is supposed to be made next Wednesday as to whether they or the joint bid of Canada, Mexico, and the United States will win the microscope will be firmly placed on Morocco. A difficult result against Portugal or Spain where the score gets run up would cast them back into the ‘minnows’ conversation.
Although Renard has defied expectations before this is his biggest assignment. Given Morocco’s ambitions both on and off of the pitch this is their big chance to make an impression on the world. First impressions only come once.
Morocco
2018 World Cup
