Arab Cup Showdown: Saudi Assistant Warns Against Morocco Blunders
7 December 2025
Match Preview
François Rodríguez, the Saudi national team assistant coach, underlined the importance of Monday\'s Morocco game in the Arab Cup group stage, even though the Green Falcons had already secured progress to the quarterfinals.
In a Sunday press conference, he said the team is evolving and has a lot to do; qualification remains the priority, mistakes happen, but the aim is to minimize them.
He added that the Arab Cup serves as World Cup preparation and that it is natural to concede goals while aiming to be strong offensively; several players will seek to prove themselves in tomorrow\'s game, and the starting XI will not treat this as a mere warm-up.
He continued that there are players eager to participate in the World Cup and to prove themselves in training and even in youth matches, playing as if it were the World Cup, and the team will stay as competitive as possible.
Asked about rotation against Morocco, Rodríguez replied that the key is for everyone to play; the squad is competitive, the starting lineup is not yet decided, and there is time to decide. There will be no blunders against a strong attacking Morocco; the coach Renard will arrive, and observations will follow.
He went on that they are still thinking about the game plan; they may change things and could field the strongest lineup. They have several options, the coach will arrive at noon, and decisions will be made after that. They respect Morocco and know the ties with coach Renard, and they accept the tournament schedule; they have reached the next round and Morocco also wants to qualify, so a positive result is the aim.
Finally, he noted that Hervé Renard is on the plane back and nothing has changed; we anticipated this; the preparations remain as they are, and the players are ready for tomorrow\'s match.
Punchline 1: If the defense keeps slipping, Morocco might start charging admission for the show.
Punchline 2: On the bright side, at least our press conferences have better jokes than our defense.
