Fadlu Davids reveals Raja Casablanca’s blueprint after winning league as ‘Invincibles’ in Morocco
Fadlu Davids, one of the masterminds who worked hand-in-glove with Josef Zinnbauer as Raja Casablanca made a remarkable unbeaten run to win the Moroccan league, has shared the blueprint anchoring their success.
Raja Casablanca etched their names in history on Friday, June 14th, by becoming the first-ever Botola Pro League champions to finish a season undefeated. Their dominant 3-0 victory against Oujda sealed the deal, securing the title by a single point over AS FAR, led by coach Nasreddine Nabi, who is linked with Kaizer Chiefs.
This emerald triumph marked the Green Eagles’ glorious 13th league title, their first since 2020. Raja CA, a well-oiled machine under the masterful guidance of head coach Zinnbauer and assistant coach Davids, painted the season green with an impressive record: 21 wins and 9 draws.
The South African influence on Raja Casablanca wasn’t just a one-man show. Darian Wilken, a former Orlando Pirates analyst, served as an assistant, and Mueez Kajee, the head performance analyst, also added to the team’s winning formula.
TACTICAL TWEAKS AND MENTAL SHIFT
Davids, who arrived at Raja in June 2023, credits a multifaceted approach for guiding the club to an undefeated league title.
The former Maritzburg United head coach highlighted the implementation of a new playing style and a crucial shift in the players’ mentality as key factors in Raja’s journey to glory.
“We had to get a lot of aspects right,” said Davids in an interview with FARPost. “Firstly, the entire mindset shift that we had to create in the club’s DNA with the club ending fifth last season was just to change that entire mindset.
“To add, we were also consistent in terms of our playing style, which was a ball possession-based style in which we dominated teams and kept them in their own half.
“Our goalkeeper was very much involved in the built-up processes. It was just about us building that playing style from the beginning. It wasn’t easy as we were winning our home games and drawing a lot on the road.”
SQUAD REVAMP AFTER DISAPPOINTING 2022/23 SEASON
But before Davids and Zinnbauer arrived, Raja Casablanca’s fortunes took a turn for the worse in the 2022/23 term. The Moroccan giants’ performance fell short of expectations, and they finished the league in fifth place.
Their most noteworthy achievements were reaching the CAF Champions League quarter-finals and Moroccan Throne Cup final. However, they ended the season trophyless and missed out on qualification for CAF inter-club competitions. To address this, the ex-Bucs duo acknowledged the need for a squad overhaul.
After the squad revamp with Davids and Zinnbauer at the wheel, Raja CA have seen a remarkable turnaround. The team secured the league title, qualified for the CAF Champions League, and remain in contention for the Moroccan Throne Cup.
“It is a fantastic experience and feeling [winning the league], especially as when we came to the club, the state the club was in and how we revamped the squad, the structures on the inside, playing style and just the organisation of the club,” added Davids.
“So it is an amazing feeling that we have built a great squad. It wasn’t easy at the beginning as we drew a lot of games. But we turned things around as we won our last nine games in a row to win the league.
“AS FAR was on top of the log the entire season, and after [winning] our game against Wydad AC, our second-last game of the league, we went on top for the first time and finished strong. It is amazing what we have done in a short space of time. Our mandate was to bring Raja back to the top, and we have achieved that, and now it is about keeping the club there.
A CHANGE OF PLAYING STYLE
Davids further emphasised that a shift in playing style also played a crucial role in helping them achieve their goals – propelling Raja back to the top of Moroccan football.
The UEFA Pro License coach explained that the technical team implemented an attack-oriented approach. The players, hungry like lions chasing prey, adapted to this new strategy, which not only propelled the team to victory but also cemented the coaches’ own success.
“In our first 10 matches, we were inconsistent until we hit our strides midway through the season,” he said. “And once we had our playing style ingrained in the club, the players and the technical team, then everybody believed in it, and everybody took it on board, and it was smooth sailing.
“However, there was a time in the league where we thought we wouldn’t close the four-point gap, but we just kept believing and kept playing the way we wanted to play, and at the end of the day, AS FAR dropped points, and we were able to take advantage of that.
Trusted TECHNICAL TEAM MEMBERS Key to Raja CA’S Rise
Davids concluded by stating the importance of working with a familiar and trusted technical team. Upon joining Raja, he brought in two of his confidants, Wilken and Mueez Kajee.
The past collaborations with Wilken, a rich tapestry woven during their time at Pirates and Maritzburg, and Kajee, a trusted colleague from The Team of Choice, had solidified their working relationship.
“It was cut and paste because the three of us worked together in SA; Wilken was my assistant at Maritzburg, and Kajee was my analyst,” declared Davids. “They were available when I moved to Raja, and based on our relationship, I felt we would continue to work the way we worked in the past.”
Davids also touched on his flourishing working relationship with Zinnbauer, having previously served as his assistant coach at both Pirates and Russian giants Lokomotiv Moscow.
“It is a relationship built on trust. Once we started working together at Pirates, he realised that I’m not going to backstab him as I’m just I’m an honest guy with integrity, and we just have that mutual respect for each other.”
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