‘What he is doing is totally amazing’ – Mikel Arteta lauds Morocco boss Walid Regragui, who attended Arsenal manager’s tactical masterclass seminar in

14/12/2022 10:00

Mikel Arteta has hailed the ‘totally amazing’ work of Morocco boss Walid Regragui, who attended a tactical seminar done by the Arsenal manager. The 47-year-old, who only took charge of the Atlas Lions in August, has defied the odds by taking his side to the World Cup semi-finals. GettyRegragui has guided Morocco to become the first African nation to reach the World Cup semi-finals[/caption] A picture has emerged online of Regragui attending Arteta’s tactical seminar last year Morocco are the first African nation to reach the last four of the global tournament where they have beaten Belgium, Spain and Portugal. They will have to knock out defending champions France on Wednesday night if they wish to progress into Sunday’s final against Argentina. Regragui has earned plaudits over Morocco’s defensive resilience having conceded just once in Qatar – an own goal in their 2-1 win over Canada. He could have Arteta to thank for Morocco’s blueprint after a picture has emerged on social media of him attending the Spaniard’s tactical masterclass Zoom call in 2021. Arteta was explaining his coaching philosophy and tactical expertise, where he used Arsenal’s 2-0 FA Cup semi-final win over Manchester City in 2020 as an example. And Regragui, who was the boss of Moroccan side Wydad AC at the time, could be seen as one of those listening intently in the call. GettyRegragui’s side face France on Wednesday for a place in the World Cup final[/caption] Most read in football WHITE NOISE 'We know the reasons' - Arsenal boss Arteta speaks out on White's England exit back Ben White breaks silence for the first time since leaving England's World Cup camp DISMISSED Mandzukic sent off, while Kovacic is booked over awarding of Argentina penalty STARDUST Hollywood A-lister becomes Bournemouth shareholder as £120m takeover completed MOVE? Maguire 'will leave Man United' and Tottenham tipped as good fit… 'but not Arsenal' IN Liverpool 'agree' Fernandez transfer and set to pip Manchester rivals to Argentina star He was even spotted taking notes in the picture shared by Twitter user Eurofoot. Fast forward a year, and Regragui is on the cusp of reaching the World Cup final in what is arguably the biggest fairy tale run in the tournament’s history. And Arteta waxed lyrical over Regragui in his post-match press conference following Arsenal’s 2-1 friendly win over AC Milan on Tuesday. He said: “The impact he’s having, he’s a total credit to them. GettyRegragui is ‘confident’ the Atlas Lions can produce another shock upset in Qatar[/caption] And he may have Gunners boss Arteta to thank if they manage itGetty “What he is doing is amazing, and what he is transmitting is great. “And it’s a really positive thing for world football to have an African team at the stage. They’re one of four very select teams in this World Cup.” Looking ahead to the match against France, Regragui has insisted he is ‘confident’ his side can pull off another upset victory. He said: “We have beaten some top sides. Before every match people thought we would get knocked out but we are still here. We are getting closer to our dreams and we will fight to get there. “We are one of the four best teams in the world now and we want to reach the final. The best team, Brazil, is already knocked out. We are hungry. “I don’t know if it will be enough but we want Africa to be on top of the world. I know we are not favourites but we are confident. “You might think that’s crazy, but a bit of craziness is good.” Listen to full commentary of Morocco vs France LIVE on talkSPORT, kick-off 7pm. talkSPORT World Cup 2022 Coverage talkSPORT is bringing you wall-to-wall coverage of the 2022 World Cup. We are broadcasting all 64 games in the tournament live, with over 600 hours of coverage across our network. You can tune in to talkSPORT and talkSPORT 2 via our free online streaming service at talkSPORT.com. talkSPORT is widely available across the UK via DAB digital radio and on 1089 or 1053 AM. You can also download the talkSPORT app, or ask your smart speaker to play talkSPORT.