Walid Regragui has opened up on the key milestones that shaped him as a coach, contrasting his time at Fath Rabat with his spell at Wydad Athletic Club. Every club has its own philosophy, the Morocco boss insisted, and each one demands a different way of working and managing a team.
His years at Fath, he explained, handed him the ideal platform to experiment and grow. Wydad was another matter entirely, forcing on him a win-now mentality and the relentless pressure of chasing every trophy.
Speaking to Moroccan website "Elbotola", Regragui described Fath Rabat as a genuine laboratory at the start of his coaching journey.
"Fath was like a laboratory for me, because I was able to try out several tactical systems, such as 4-4-2, 4-3-3 and defending with five players," he said. "We also sold a number of players at the end of every season, which forced us to rebuild the team continuously."
Those circumstances, he added, gave him the time he needed to develop. "That is why I stayed six years at Fath, because I was working calmly and developing as a coach, and in the end we managed to win the league title for the first time in the club's history, an achievement that will remain etched in my memory."
Winning first, with no time to wait
Life at Wydad could hardly have been more different, Regragui stressed, thanks to the sheer scale of expectation and the pressure pouring down from the stands.
"The big difference between Fath and Wydad is that the former gives you time to build, whereas at Wydad you have to win and put in a good performance every week, because the scale of demands and pressures is much greater," he said.
"At Wydad I learned how to win quickly, because after just three months I felt that things could become complicated if we did not get results," he added. "And I had to adapt quickly to the mentality of a club that accepts nothing but victories."
That spell ranks among the standout chapters of his coaching career, the 50-year-old suggested, and the trophies back him up.
"We managed to win the league title, and we brought Wydad back to winning two consecutive titles after a thirty-year absence," he said. "We also won the CAF Champions League and reached the final of the Throne Cup, and it was perhaps one of the best seasons in the club's history."
The secret to success: understanding each club's identity
Success as a coach, Regragui concluded, comes down to grasping the identity of your club and adapting to its culture and demands.
"A coach has to adapt to the club he is coaching, because every team has its own history, character and requirements, and that is what I learned during my career," he said.