Casablanca – Mohamed Ouahbi expressed confidence in the depth of his squad after Sunday’s 1-1 friendly draw with Mali, insisting the Atlas Lions showed they have enough quality across all positions despite missing several established players.
Morocco faced Mali without Noussair Mazraoui, who returned to Manchester United after picking up a back problem against Lesotho, while Achraf Hakimi saw limited action during the international window.
Asked about Morocco’s options in those areas, Ouahbi pointed to the performances of younger players and others who received opportunities during the camp.
“I’m not going to focus on one position in particular,” Ouahbi said after the match. “What matters to me is that Achraf hasn’t played much. We didn’t want to take any risks, but we saw young players come in and perform well. We also gave opportunities to other players who showed good things, and we need to give them time.”
The cach said Morocco’s recent World Cup campaign offered further evidence that the squad already possesses considerable depth.
“I think we have a complete team and everything we need,” he said. “We reached the World Cup quarter-finals and produced some very strong performances. That shows we have the necessary quality in every position.”
Read also: Ouahbi Says Mali Exposed Areas Morocco Still Need to Improve
Ouahbi nevertheless acknowledged that the team still has work to do, particularly when it comes to building stronger connections between players.
“What we have to do now is keep working, find better chemistry between the players on the pitch, stay serious and keep things simple while maintaining the same level of demands,” he said. “Overall, I’m very satisfied with the options we have.”
The Morocco coach also addressed the absence of Hakimi and Mazraoui more directly, describing the pair as two of the world’s leading full-backs.
“Of course we are stronger when they are available. They are perhaps the two best full-backs in the world and both can play on the right or the left,” Ouahbi said. “But I think the players who featured did well. I’m not worried about that, and we will continue to trust everyone.”
He also refused to single out an individual for Mali’s second-half equalizer.
“The responsibility lies with the entire team,” stressed. “I will never blame a player directly for making a mistake or something like that.”
Morocco ended the international window unbeaten, following 2-0 victories over Gabon and Lesotho with Sunday’s draw in Tangier.
