Rabat – Raja Casablanca head coach Paco Jimenez has expressed dissatisfaction with his team’s start to the Botola Pro season and called for significant improvements after Tuesday’s 1-1 draw against FUS Rabat left the club with five points from three matches.
The Spanish manager acknowledged that Raja have yet to reach the level he expects and said that addressing the team’s shortcomings will require patience.
“We are not satisfied with taking five points from our first three matches. We need to keep working and improving certain things. There is a lot we need to change within the team, and that will take time,” Jimenez said during his post-match press conference, according to El Botola.
Raja appeared on course for victory at Prince Moulay El Hassan Stadium after Adel Bettaieb opened the scoring in the 20th minute.
But FUS fought back in the second half and equalized through Mohamed Bakhkhach in the 69th minute, shortly after the forward had entered the match as a substitute.
The result left Raja with one win and two draws in their first three league appearances. The Casablanca club had previously defeated Renaissance Zemamra 1-0 before playing out a goalless draw against Maghreb Fez.
Jimenez identified his team’s inability to maintain its first-half performance as one of the main concerns following the match.
“We had several players unavailable, so we chose what we believed was the best possible lineup. I think we played a very good first half with that team, but we couldn’t maintain the same level in the second half,” he explained.
The coach also addressed the physical demands on his players and the injuries affecting his squad. He said it was too early to establish the exact causes of those problems and called for a review of training intensity, rest periods, and recovery procedures.
Jimenez acknowledged the effort his players have put into training but insisted that finding the right balance between physical preparation and recovery would be necessary to improve their consistency throughout matches.
The 56-year-old Spaniard took charge of Raja in September following the departure of Tunisian coach Nasreddine Nabi. During his presentation, he described the appointment as one of the most significant challenges of his managerial career and made clear his ambitions to compete for titles with the Casablanca club.
Raja remain unbeaten in the league, but their two draws have limited their points return at the beginning of the season.
