Morocco have a boy wonder in midfield
Brazil 1-1 Morocco
Brazil’s World Cup campaign began with an entertaining 1-1 draw with Morocco in New Jersey, where Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior scored an excellent individual goal.
Morocco, widely expected to be among the best teams at the tournament, produced an impressive showing in which they were the better side for much of the game.
Here, Telegraph Sport analyses the reasons for Brazil to be fearful – and why Morocco could be such a dangerous force this summer.
Brazil’s alarmingly ponderous midfield
Brazil will not win this World Cup if their midfield remains as vulnerable and one-paced as it was in this opening game. In the first half, especially, Brazil’s central duo of Casemiro and Bruno Guimaraes completely failed to find a foothold in the match.
Casemiro, especially, was a long way from the required level against a team of Morocco’s energy and skill. The 34-year-old, who was so impressive in his final months for Manchester United, looked far more like the player who struggled under Ruben Amorim than the one who thrived under Michael Carrick.
Casemiro’s yellow card after 37 minutes, when he lazily dangled his leg at Neil El Aynaoui, encapsulated his struggles in the sweltering heat. He could not even keep up with the play, let alone dictate it.
The openness of Brazil’s midfield contributed to the numerous chances that Morocco created in central areas. In the first half, they had 12 shots to Brazil’s six.
There was little surprise, then, when Casemiro was removed from the game at half-time. Ancelotti replaced him with another ageing star, the 32-year-old former Liverpool destroyer Fabinho, and Brazil unquestionably improved in the second half. It was still far from a dominant showing, though, and the nervy defensive performance of Gabriel Magalhaes, usually so solid at Arsenal, was further proof that the foundations in midfield were not strong.
Vinicius Junior provides the star power
Brazil did not have much cohesion but they did have the most thrilling individual attacker on the pitch, with Vinicius Junior scoring a superb solo goal and offering a sustained threat across the full game.
The Real Madrid winger is already established as one of the most electrifying attacking talents in the game, but a strong World Cup could cement his status as a true global superstar. His fierce finish, after darting inside from the left channel, was a reminder of his extraordinary explosiveness.
This individual quality will surely be the key to Brazil’s hopes of ending their joint-longest run without winning the World Cup. There was little evidence of a defined system or playing style against Morocco, so Brazil will need their star players to deliver big moments throughout the tournament in the absence of collective strength. Vinicius, now 25 and coming into his prime years, appears to be the most likely to provide those game-changing flourishes.
Bouaddi the boy wonder
One of the most eye-catching players on the pitch was teenager Ayyoub Bouaddi, who excelled in midfield for Morocco. The 18-year-old is a star player for Lille in France and showed impressive confidence and technical ability on the biggest stage of his career.
Bouaddi has caught the attention of many of Europe’s top clubs, with Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain among those reportedly showing interest in signing him, and his performance against Brazil will enhance his reputation.
Bouaddi ended the game with 60 completed passes and 86 touches, the most of any Morocco player. He also completed three successful dribbles, showing his confidence in possession.
Remarkably, the midfielder was only approved to play for Morocco a month before the World Cup started. Born in France to Moroccan parents, he had previously represented the French youth teams.
Morocco a force to be feared
It should come as no surprise that Morocco caused Brazil so many problems. They are seventh in Fifa’s rankings, only one place behind Brazil, and their team is packed with technically gifted players. Indeed, it was Morocco who played the more attractive and stylish football in this match.
There is a reason, after all, why Morocco reached the semi-finals of the World Cup in Qatar four years ago. They were also the only African team to win all eight of their qualifying matches for this competition.
Bouaddi was the most eye-catching player but there were also classy performances from full-backs Achraf Hakimi and Noussair Mazraoui. In attack, Ismael Saibari produced a gorgeous chipped finish to give Morocco the first-half lead. The forward could be moving to Bayern Munich this summer after scoring 19 goals and registering nine assists for PSV Eindhoven last season.
The presence of all these technicians, combined with Morocco’s obvious collective understanding, makes them one of the most exciting teams in the tournament.
[Source: Daily Telegraph]
