Charai has so often been the man behind the main man. When he stepped out on his own, he showed his qualities and made history by leading Morocco to AFCON success at Under-23 level. That success came as no surprise to the long-time admirer who hired him.
Chris Van Puyvelde, the technical director for the Royal Moroccan Football Federation told the Rangers Review last week about the role he played in Hamza Igamane’s move to Ibrox after discussing the striker with Philippe Clement last summer. In a twist of fate, the Belgian has also had a hand in Charai’s rise in the game to Ibrox. The tournament win on home soil two years ago was a first at that level for the Atlas Lions. It put Charai on the map.
“I brought Issame here,” Van Puyvelde tells the Rangers Review. “I knew him from Belgium, I brought him here and he did an amazing job over here. That's the only thing I can say.
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“They won the Under-23 AFCON. He is somebody who is very structured, that's one thing, te can analyse the game and he can transfer it into the training ground. But he is very respectful to everybody and that's, for me, important.
“He will work together with the staff, he's used to working together. Maybe that's the most important thing, that he's used to working together because, in football, you can't do it alone.
“I still remember when I made the staff in Belgium with Roberto [Martinez], with Thierry Henry, with Graeme Jones, with everybody I was always searching for added values and added value is so important.
"And that means that he doesn't have to be the same as the head coach or his other coaches. He needs to add something so that the whole team will be better and that's what I'm always searching for in my way of working.”
The appointment of Charai in January raised more questions than it answered for some supporters. Clement had been working without an assistant manager due to a personal situation that saw Andries Ulderink, who only arrived at Ibrox in June, depart the club and return home. He has since been named boss of Royal Antwerp.
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Charai was more of a club pick than a Clement one. It was not a case of the boss having a coach foisted upon him but it was a strategic decision at a time when Rangers were looking for solutions to so many problems. Clement was amenable to the suggestion as Rangers sought to add a different perspective to the staff including Stephan van der Heyden, Alex Rae, Brian Gilmour and Colin Stewart.
A three-and-a-half year contract was a show of faith in Charai. It was at odds with Clement’s situation, though. Within a matter of weeks, Clement and his established staff had been sacked and Charai was the last man standing.
Charai was assured by the hierarchy that he was still part of the plans. Barry Ferguson was named as interim manager and brought his own staff with him as Neil McCann, Billy Dodds and Allan McGregor answered a call of duty. Charai was the odd one out but he has not been marginalised and kept on the outside looking in.
Indeed, he has played a part in helping transform the fortunes of a side who were beaten at home by Motherwell and went on to overcome Fenerbahce and see off Celtic. The decision to redraw the tactical blueprint that Clement had stuck so stubbornly to was bold and brave from Ferguson.
Jose Mourinho was outthought and Brendan Rodgers was outfought. Rangers did not even have an hour on the training pitch to prepare the plan before their historic night in Istanbul. If Ferguson needed an idea of how his new system could work, he didn’t need to look far for confirmation.
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“We saw that we were able to dominate the games, all the games,” Oussana of L'Vestiaire podcast told the Rangers Review as he discussed Charai’s tactical approach during that successful AFCON campaign. “We had possession all the time. We had players in certain areas, in certain positions, and it was easy for us to have the ball to create opportunities.
“Not only attack, but also defend, because the most important thing in possession play is to be able to counter-press, and that will allow me to go to your match actually, Rangers against Fenerbahce. Because I was really, really impressed with that match, and that actually reminded me of how our team played in the AFCON.
“For me, that was the same game model I saw with the Moroccan national team in AFCON Under-23, with coach Issame. With three at the back, with the box four you have in the midfield, the two pivots, two in the pockets, and the two forward players.
“So that was really impressive to see how you guys dominated the game, especially in the first half, because the second half was more about transitions. But yeah, it was clear that was the same game model we saw in the AFCON. I'm not saying it's not Barry's game plan, but for me, it was really the same thing. His game model was clear in that match.”
There was a danger that Charai could have become a spare part of the new management machine. He does not, after all, have the experience as a player that Ferguson, McCann, Dodds and McGregor do, and he will not be able to replicate the bonds that they share during this stint until the end of the campaign.
The 42-year-old had an unremarkable career as a striker in Belgium with the likes of K.V. Mechelen and Sint-Truidense. His first coaching appointment came under one of his early influences as Marc Brys, his manager at Berchem Sport, took him to Al-Faisaly. The pair also had a stint at Beerschot and worked together at Sint-Truidense and OH Leuven.
Had fate dealt Charai a different hand, he could have linked up with Patrick Viera at Strasbourg. The French outfit are part of the same club structure as Chelsea and Pascal De Maesschalk, the technical director of the Ligue 1 side, invited Charai to London for a meeting with Sam Jewell, Chelsea’s head of global recruitment, and sporting director and Lawrence Stewart.
Subsequent conversations with Viera saw a deal done but the Arsenal legend was sacked before Charai joined up in pre-season. Liam Rosenior agreed to keep Charai on board upon his appointment, but it became evident that their football philosophies did not align. The next stop was Ibrox. The next opportunity could be Charai’s most important one yet.
“We don't have a lot of coaches in Europe today that coach big teams,” L'Vestiaire co-host Issam told the Rangers Review. “Rangers is a big team, so it's a great, great opportunity for him to shine. And I believe that at some point, even the Rangers fan base needs to give him an opportunity, maybe at some point as head coach.
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“For me, he has everything that a head coach needs to have in terms of football, in terms of management, in terms of tactical aspects to succeed. Because winning the AFCON Under-23 is not an easy task, especially when we play at home. And he managed to do it in a good style, an attacking style.
“And I believe that he can be able to replicate that with Rangers at some point. So, yeah, we don't have a lot of names and Issame is a good display of Moroccan coaches. So I wish he can succeed also with Rangers.”
The duo from L'Vestiaire – a platform that provides tactical analysis and insight on Moroccan football – mention some of the finest managers, including Carlo Ancelotti and Luis Enrique, of this generation when discussing Charai. He joined them on a show to discuss his experiences and his beliefs in the game and is flying the flag for coaches inspired by his achievements in Africa.
Life at Rangers is very different, even for someone who has worked as extensively as Charai. The history, the demand and the potential make Rangers a unique environment in which to perform. Charai now operates with his family around him once again after they made the move to his home from home in recent weeks.
Clement’s sacking caused brief consternation. The switch from Rabat to Glasgow was completed after the paperwork was processed and his children have started school here. The timing has coincided with those famous nights against Fenerbahce and the Old Firm triumph that was earned by Hamza Igamane, one of Charai’s former international students.
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Ferguson is the one that has the final say but he trusts those around him to add their input and put the theory into action on the training ground. The future remains uncertain for all of those who are now preparing for the final Premiership fixtures and the Europa League quarter-final with Athletic Club. Van Puyvelde believes the relationship will continue to be beneficial for all parties.
“This does not just relate to Issame and I don’t talk only about Issame,” Van Puyvelde says. “I mean, when we saw the stuff around Issame, it was the stuff that was good, all added values. You don't need to be all the same who says 'Yes or no' if the head coach is saying this. No, no, no, no.
“You can discuss inside the dressing room but the moment the decision has been taken and you go out, you say the same as the head coach. That's for me a rule - A rule as an added value.
“Issame will do the same over there as he did here, as he did in Belgium. That's my way of thinking about him and I have a lot of respect for him. Not because I brought him here, but because of how he is as a human being also.
“I'm not only talking about his competence because that everybody knows, but he is also a human being. He knows how to talk with players and so on. So that's for me important - to hear somebody that has his values is important.”