Ouahbi Proves Critics Wrong at World Cup

Mohamed Ouahbi, the 49-year-old Belgian coach, has silenced critics who doubted his coaching abilities by guiding Morocco to the World Cup quarterfinals with an attractive attacking style. He remains undefeated in the tournament and is set to lead Morocco against two-time world champions France in the upcoming quarterfinal match.

Ouahbi recalled a moment from his first year of study when a lecturer told him he lacked the skills to be a physical education teacher. However, he has since consistently defied such doubts. While he may not have achieved success as a player, he has excelled as a coach, despite most of his experience being in youth development. Before being appointed Morocco's coach just three months before the World Cup, replacing Walid Regragui, he had never managed a senior team, except for a season as an assistant coach at Belgian giants Anderlecht. Instead, he spent 17 years coaching young players at Anderlecht, nurturing talents like Youri Tielemans and Jeremy Doku during their formative years.

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I still remember during my first year of study, a lecturer told me that in his opinion, I was not suitable to be a teacher, to teach or to communicate.

This experience proved fruitful when he led Morocco to win the U20 World Cup last year, defeating France in the semifinals and Argentina in the final. The challenge against France, featuring star player Kylian Mbappe, is undoubtedly tougher. However, Ouahbi has already earned the trust of former Moroccan national team players. "There were doubts about whether he could manage a team full of star players, but what we saw in the friendly matches was convincing. He came when everyone was worried. It was a big gamble, but he succeeded," said former Moroccan midfielder Abdelaziz Bennij.

Ouahbi's background with youth squads also aided him in managing the talented 18-year-old midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi, a former French U21 player who chose to represent Morocco just before the World Cup. He is also lauded for introducing a new attacking dimension to the team's style, a departure from the counter-attacking approach of his predecessor, Regragui. Regragui's tactics had brought significant success, including Morocco's 2022 World Cup semifinal run and their Africa Cup of Nations title, though the latter was marred by controversy. In contrast, Ouahbi's more attacking style, with new Bayern Munich player Ismael Saibari as a key figure, was evident in their 1-1 draw against Brazil.

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There were doubts about whether he could manage a team full of star players, but what we saw in the friendly matches was convincing. He came when everyone was worried. It was a big gamble, but he succeeded.