Walid Regragui commented on the demands of Generation “Z” saying: “There is no Moroccan in the world who does not want quality education and health, and I hope this will be achieved with respect and without violence.”

This was stated during the press conference held by Regragui on Thursday, on the sidelines of announcing the “Atlas Lions” squad for the matches against Bahrain and Congo. He justified the choice to play against Bahrain by saying: “We did not look for a team similar to African teams due to commitments of several teams, and the most important thing is to find a friendly match against a respectable team that will seek to win against us, and we must find solutions to beat them. If we were able to play against an African team, we would have, but we had no choice.”

In a related context, the national coach praised the efforts of the national under-20 coach Mohamed Wahbi at the current World Cup in Chile after consecutive wins against Spain and Brazil, commending the great work of this technical staff, noting that the “Atlas Cubs” have become a respectable team internationally.

He added: “We have beaten Brazil in all categories: the senior team, the Olympic team, and the under-20 team. It is not unlikely that we will see one of these players soon with the senior national team.”

The national coach confirmed that pressure is always present on the senior national team, which is required to win all matches, despite the many injuries that sometimes hinder calling up the full squad. Nevertheless, he emphasized the presence of distinguished names on the bench, as reflected in recent match results.

Regarding the center-back position, Regragui explained that player Romain Saïss is still in his plans due to the absence of an alternative player with the same quality and balance, saying: “I tried a group of players in this position; but so far, we have not found the ideal replacement for Saïss.”

As for player Omar El Hilali, he said his problem is not related to technical level or the coach’s vision, but to the presence of strong names in the same position; most notably Achraf Hakimi and Noussair Mazraoui, in addition to player Mohamed Chibi, who competes strongly and has continental experience.

On the issue of renewing the defense, the national coach confirmed that there are promising young names; however, the center-back position remains one of the toughest in football and requires great maturity and experience.

He also spoke about the Moroccan star Achraf Hakimi, noting that he deserved to win the Ballon d’Or, expressing confidence in his abilities: “I told him he must continue to develop, and he confirmed that in yesterday’s Champions League match against Barcelona.”