Infamous..
20-05-2011, 19:32
On March 27, the Moroccan national team traveled to Annaba in neighboring Algeria with the chance to essentially eliminate the 2010 World Cup qualifiers from African Cup of Nations qualifying. Abdelhak Ben Chikha’s team were placed last in Group D and they were looking more vulnerable than ever, with many of their key players absent, but the coach said that the three points would remain in Algeria, and indeed they did.
If one takes Morocco’s recent history into account, the result was a predictable one. Lest we forget that this is the same team that went from being a continental finalist in 2004 to not even even qualifying for the Angolan edition in 2010, after a disastrous campaign cost Roger Lemerre his job well before the final game was played. That was the moment in which the Atlas Lions hit rock bottom.
In response, the under fire Moroccan Royal Football Federation (FRMF) claimed that furious football fans in the north African kingdom would never have to endure such pitiful performances ever again, and promised them a top class coach. True to their word, they brought in former Marseille tactician Eric Gerets, a trainer whose linguistic abilities made him the perfect candidate for a dysfunctional squad that mainly draws its talent from his native Belgium, Holland, France, and of course, Morocco.
Unfortunately his arrival was significantly delayed due to contractual obligations with Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal, which forced assistant Dominique Cuperly to oversee the first few training camps and, more importantly, the disappointing goalless home draw against Group D’s current surprise leaders, the Central African Republic. To his credit, Cuperly came back from Dar es Salaam with a 1-0 win over second placed Tanzania before Gerets finally took the reins.
Barely settled, Gerets’ first match with him present on the sidelines resulted in a 1-1 away draw against Northern Ireland. Three month later and with a number of high profile new recruits in tow (namely Mehdi Carcela-Gonzalez), the Atlas Lions made easy work of an improving Niger side by beating them 3-0 at home.
Following years of infighting and locker room rifts, epitomized by the training ground scuffles between Adel Taarabt and Youssef Safri, things finally looked like they were coming together under the watch of the polyglot coach who was receiving credit for re-instilling a sense of professionalism and national duty to the squad. Then came the loss in Annaba.
While many Moroccan fans will point to what they considered biased refereeing and the fact that Algeria were playing ultra-defensive football after taking an early lead through a penalty kick, the game remains a disheartening missed opportunity, as well as Gerets’ first defeat.
The chemistry between the players has clearly improved a great deal on a personal level, but we still haven’t seen much evidence of this on the pitch. Playing in Algeria was undoubtedly a tough test for a young and relatively inexperienced squad but on June 4 in Marrakesh there will be no more excuses for Gerets or his incredibly talented group to fail.
With Group D wide open and all of the teams tied on four points, all is still possible in this qualifying section, but only three matches remain and Morocco will need to get a trio of positive results to be the team at the top of the table later this year with an automatic qualifying spot to show for their efforts.
Group D | Three matches left to play
Central African Republic 4
Tanzania 4
Morocco 4
Algeria 4
One look at the Atlas Lions roster will have any football connoisseur struggling to comprehend how a team with such skillful players at their disposal can be at risk of not qualifying for a second consecutive African Cup of Nations competition.
Moroccans have rightfully had enough of hearing about their country’s 'potential', as the word means nothing if one never sees their team fulfill it.
On an individual player basis, the Atlas Lions are arguably the most skilled team in Africa, but the main challenge has always been to put these abilities to the service of the collective, and translate beautiful play into victories.
This is what Gerets was brought in to do and so far he hasn't made it happen. It does indeed take time to build a team, but Moroccan patience is wearing thin and on June 4 excuses won't cut it if Gerets and his side come up short again. Simply put, it’s time for the Atlas Lions to roar once more!
http://www.goal.com/en/news/1717/editorial/2011/05/20/2494906/moroccos-pride-and-potential-the-atlas-lions-need-roar
If one takes Morocco’s recent history into account, the result was a predictable one. Lest we forget that this is the same team that went from being a continental finalist in 2004 to not even even qualifying for the Angolan edition in 2010, after a disastrous campaign cost Roger Lemerre his job well before the final game was played. That was the moment in which the Atlas Lions hit rock bottom.
In response, the under fire Moroccan Royal Football Federation (FRMF) claimed that furious football fans in the north African kingdom would never have to endure such pitiful performances ever again, and promised them a top class coach. True to their word, they brought in former Marseille tactician Eric Gerets, a trainer whose linguistic abilities made him the perfect candidate for a dysfunctional squad that mainly draws its talent from his native Belgium, Holland, France, and of course, Morocco.
Unfortunately his arrival was significantly delayed due to contractual obligations with Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal, which forced assistant Dominique Cuperly to oversee the first few training camps and, more importantly, the disappointing goalless home draw against Group D’s current surprise leaders, the Central African Republic. To his credit, Cuperly came back from Dar es Salaam with a 1-0 win over second placed Tanzania before Gerets finally took the reins.
Barely settled, Gerets’ first match with him present on the sidelines resulted in a 1-1 away draw against Northern Ireland. Three month later and with a number of high profile new recruits in tow (namely Mehdi Carcela-Gonzalez), the Atlas Lions made easy work of an improving Niger side by beating them 3-0 at home.
Following years of infighting and locker room rifts, epitomized by the training ground scuffles between Adel Taarabt and Youssef Safri, things finally looked like they were coming together under the watch of the polyglot coach who was receiving credit for re-instilling a sense of professionalism and national duty to the squad. Then came the loss in Annaba.
While many Moroccan fans will point to what they considered biased refereeing and the fact that Algeria were playing ultra-defensive football after taking an early lead through a penalty kick, the game remains a disheartening missed opportunity, as well as Gerets’ first defeat.
The chemistry between the players has clearly improved a great deal on a personal level, but we still haven’t seen much evidence of this on the pitch. Playing in Algeria was undoubtedly a tough test for a young and relatively inexperienced squad but on June 4 in Marrakesh there will be no more excuses for Gerets or his incredibly talented group to fail.
With Group D wide open and all of the teams tied on four points, all is still possible in this qualifying section, but only three matches remain and Morocco will need to get a trio of positive results to be the team at the top of the table later this year with an automatic qualifying spot to show for their efforts.
Group D | Three matches left to play
Central African Republic 4
Tanzania 4
Morocco 4
Algeria 4
One look at the Atlas Lions roster will have any football connoisseur struggling to comprehend how a team with such skillful players at their disposal can be at risk of not qualifying for a second consecutive African Cup of Nations competition.
Moroccans have rightfully had enough of hearing about their country’s 'potential', as the word means nothing if one never sees their team fulfill it.
On an individual player basis, the Atlas Lions are arguably the most skilled team in Africa, but the main challenge has always been to put these abilities to the service of the collective, and translate beautiful play into victories.
This is what Gerets was brought in to do and so far he hasn't made it happen. It does indeed take time to build a team, but Moroccan patience is wearing thin and on June 4 excuses won't cut it if Gerets and his side come up short again. Simply put, it’s time for the Atlas Lions to roar once more!
http://www.goal.com/en/news/1717/editorial/2011/05/20/2494906/moroccos-pride-and-potential-the-atlas-lions-need-roar