The draw for the World Cup quarter finals done, the talking heads have their pieces in place. But spare a thought, if you will, for the quiet history...
The draw for the World Cup quarter finals done, the talking heads have their pieces in place. But spare a thought, if you will, for the quiet history being minted in the Atlas Mountains. Mohamed Ouahbi's Morocco, sole survivors of the African contingent yet again, step out against France in a tie that carries more than just semi final stakes. It is a repetition of that glorious, fraught night in Qatar four years ago. To see them there, at the last eight of consecutive tournaments, is to watch an entire continent push a boulder a little further up the hill. And really, what a mountain it is.Let us be absolutely clear on the scale of this. Africa has provided the World Cup with its moments of drama, its giant killings, its raw emotion. But consistency, the ability to park the bus one tournament and launch a devastating counter attack the next, has always been the elusive prize. Morocco have now crashed through that barrier. They are the first African nation to reach back to back quarter finals. Forget the romanticism of the underdog for a moment. This is cold, tactical progress. Ouahbi has built a side that can play the low block until the opposition's teeth ache, then slit a throat on the break. They did it to Belgium, they did it to Spain, and they very nearly did it to France last time. The question now is whether they can repeat the trick against a French side that knows exactly what is coming. Squeaky bum time, as the old guard would say.Elsewhere, the dugout carousel spins on. Alvaro Arbeloa, the former Spain full back who cut his teeth at Real Madrid, has taken the reins at Fulham. A three year contract for a man who understands the geometry of the pitch better than most. He replaces Marco Silva, who has taken the Benfica job, and in truth it is a fascinating appointment. Arbeloa's Madrid side last season showed a rigid defensive structure but also a startling lack of invention in the final third. Fulham fans might want to check their blood pressure. The Premier League is not kind to coaches who cannot marry defensive solidity with a bit of flair in the final pass. But Arbeloa knows the English game from his playing days at Liverpool and knows the demands of a London crowd. It is a risk. It is a punt. And honestly, in the transfer market madness we call football, sometimes a punt is exactly what the doctor ordered.So as the world braces for the quarter finals, let us not get lost in the bracketology of it all. The real story is the slow, grinding march of the outsider. Morocco have turned history into habit. Arbeloa is trying to turn a reputation into a career. The rest of us are just here to watch the drama unfold. And if you think the analysis stops here, you are wrong. GoalZaza will be there, pitchside, for every moment of beautiful, chaotic brilliance.
