The key to Canada’s defeat of Morocco in the World Cup

Canada will play their final match of the men’s 2022 FIFA World Cup on Thursday, facing a Moroccan side who have been thoroughly impressive so far.

One point is enough for the Atlas Lions to secure a place in the Round of 16 after beating Belgium and drawing with Croatia. However, a win would allow the African side to top the group and avoid likely Group E winners Spain.

In short, Canada is going up against a very good team with plenty of opportunities to play. Here are the keys to upset the Men’s World Cup and score the country’s first points.

Re-establishing a tactical identity

Either Canada were completely beaten by the Croatian midfield and the team could have set up better to mitigate the threat of Luka Modric, Mateo Kovacic and Marcelo Brozovic. may also be true.

With Atiba Hutchinson struggling to keep up and Steven Eustaquio suffering a hamstring injury, property in that area of ​​the pitch should have been dealt with much sooner, given Croatia at a heavily discounted price.

Hutchinson admitted after the game that Canada were uncharacteristically out of shape and even needed to be addressed.

Tactical savvy has been a hallmark of Hardmann’s career and was seen in the opening game against Belgium. This match provides an opportunity to show that Croatia’s game was an anomaly.

With midfield fitness concerns, it’s no surprise to see 20-year-old Ismael Kone making his first start to the tournament, and his pace and dynamism should suit Morocco. Jonathan Osorio is also likely to make an appearance after making two impressions as a stand-in.

Bring Chaos to Moroccan Organizations

Morocco have been one of the most defensively organized teams in the World Cup to date and have yet to concede a goal.

In fact, Morocco now have 622 clean sheets in all competitions.

Breaking through Morocco’s back four, which includes Premier League duo Roman Sais and Naef Ageld, as well as Sofiane Amrabat, who has provided defense as a defensive midfielder and has had a great tournament, is huge for Canada. It will be an ordeal.

If Canada cannot break through the middle, it will depend on what they can achieve on the flank through the likes of Alphonso Davies and Tajon Buchanan, who have been key to the team’s attack so far.

win the pace battle

Unlike Croatia and Belgium, Canada won’t come into this matchup with a huge speed advantage.

Canada’s Davis and Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi are two of the fastest players on the planet, while Nouser Mazrawi, Hakim Ziyech, Sofiane Boufal and more have the ball at their feet to pick up the pace.

Sam Adekbe could make his first start of the tournament at left-back after Richie Laria played in the previous match. He just adds to the pace Canada already provides in the form of Davis, Buchanan and Jonathan David.

STRIKE FORCE NEEDS LIFT-OFF

David and Kyle Larin need to understand the equation better than they got in two games.

Larin played a key role in Canada’s first goal in the men’s World Cup, but then struggled to make an impact and was substituted in the second half.

David saved one quality shot against Croatia but was generally overwhelmed in the face of goal. He looked like he was in trouble against Belgium but looked a little easier in the second game, so hopefully the third game will be attractive to the Lille forwards.

show composure

Canada looked physically and mentally drained during their match against Croatia.

It’s understandable that the adrenaline was pumped by Davis’ 67-second goal, but the Croatian team was there, doing it, not at all swayed to find a solution, and practically the whole match was over. We exhausted Canada because we knew it was going to happen.

Even Hardman, who seems to have learned from his comments in the heat before the Croatia game, has been very respectful of Morocco as the game approaches.

This is all part of the learning curve for the young Canadian team, and this game against Morocco will be a good test to see how quickly they have learned from the lessons of the past.