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Tunisia
Dream Deferred: Tunisia Falters At The Final Hurdle
Comments(188)
Apologies for not getting this up sooner but I was so incredibly disgusted with how things went yesterday that writing anything about the game would have produced more harm than good. After leading the group from the very first day, the Carthage Eagles put in what is hands down the poorest and most spiritless effort we have seen from them in recent memory. And this while they were on the verge of a World Cup qualification…
So many things went wrong that it’s hard to know where to begin but the starting lineup was the first sign of trouble. I stated in the preview of the match that if there is one player that absolutely had to start this game it was Ousemma Darragi and we all unanimously agreed that not putting him in would be a big mistake considering the fact that he is the player who has the dribbling skills, the creativity, and the range of passing to put the Mambas on their back heel and provide the telling pass that evaded us in Maputo yesterday (amongst so many other shortcomings).
Once I heard the probable and then official starting eleven I should have known that things were not going to go well from the outset but instead resorted to rationalizing it by saying that perhaps Coelho knew something we didn’t since he is closer to the players than us. Turns out that’s not the case, he just didn’t know what he was doing.
The fact that we left our most potent offensive threat on the bench in a game where winning was the only thing that would assure qualification is mind bogglingly naive and an arrogant approach against a Mambas team that already fired multiple warning shots during these qualifiers (props to them by the way, any other result yesterday would have been unfair given their dominance on all levels).
Furthermore, while so many of us been clamoring for our team to finally stop using three defensive midfielders it is bitterly ironic that, in retrospect, using the same lineup and formation as the one we employed in Abuja would have probably been the only thing that would have given us a chance in the match. Coelho’s gamble of attempting to switch up our style without leaving in our most integral attacking asset backfired completely.
Essentially, we lost this match before it started due to our coach’s lack of audacity and ceding control of midfield played right into the Mambas strengths. As if getting handicapped by our strategy and lineup choices weren’t enough, even the players selected, apart our goalkeeper Mathlouthi who saved us from an even more catastrophic outcome, went missing in the Maputo sun. No ball pressure, no fighting spirit, no desire. We didn’t even force a real save from the opposing keeper!
Watching yesterday’s match you would never think that we were battling for a place in history as players were walking on the pitch and could hardly string three passes together before running out of steam. It is now clear that not preparing in Botswana or South Africa as had been considered was a huge error because physically these guys had nothing to give in a match where they were hopelessly chasing after the ball more than controlling it.
I could go on and on about the thing that went wrong yesterday but because I value my sanity and yours, I’ll spare us any more torture as we all know that this is bigger than one game. This match was a test of whether we could finally man up and go for the jugular against sides that stand in our way but we failed it miserably.
This latest disappointment is symptomatic of a much greater and far ranging problem in Tunisian football which is crippling and overly conservative style to the way the game is played. It’s a matter of approach and ours, which has already shown its shortcoming on many occasions, must be overhauled immediately.
Damage control can only get your so far in football and we’ve reached the end of the line with these tactics. What’s sickening is that after the match Coelho was quoted on Mosaique saying that based on his reading of the game he thought we deserved to qualify and that the only thing he’d like to forget from the match is the result!
Are you kidding me? We must never forget this result because if we do we’re just going to see our team continue down this path of inferiority complexes and lack of self belief. Tunisia is bigger than that and our proud history attests to it. Our only hope is that this disqualification leads to real change rather than more empty promises. This match was a microcosm of all the problems we have been complaining about since 2004 and its lessons cannot go unheeded.
Post Match Analysis from Hannibal TV here.
In any case, congratulations to Nigeria and best of luck in South Africa 2010. We will be counting on them alongside all our African representatives to honor the continent next summer. Also, a special and heartfelt thank you to everyone (Nigerians, Kenyans, Mozambicans, my fellow Tunisians, and neutral observers) who read and contributed positively throughout these qualifiers. It’s been a true pleasure and I hope everyone sticks around because this is not the end of the road for us. Future successes must be traced and followed through on beginning today.
What’s next? I’ll leave that to all of us to discuss.
Displaying the most recent 25 comments from a total of 188 comments.
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Listen to this recent Faouzi Benzarti interview. He denies being contacted yet but that should be coming soon hopefully. Says he’s been hearing about him being hired just like everyone else. Also, the best line in the whole interview is when he’s asked what would have happened if he were coaching the team on November 14th in Maputo. His response proves why he needs to be our coach: “Man9ouleksh nirba7 wella na5ser ema n9oullek nouje3 el Mozambique.” That’s the winner’s mentality we’ve been looking for.
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1254689920746&ref=mf
Posted from 
United States
THAT SOUNDS JUUUUUST GREAT 
Posted from 
Sweden
Love Benzarti.
Taraji under Benzarti emerged victorious @ places farrrr more intimidating and intense than Maputo i.e away to Stief, Ismaily and Raja Casablanca.
Taraji played to win and what A SHOCK…Taraji won the whole bloody thing.
Great, he get cart blanch from me to smack that ignorance out of Isaam for starters
I only don’t think he should combine the two jobs as some people over here spoken about it earlier. Its possible to do it, but it only gets alot of speculations with it along. Especialy when he selects a couple of players of Taraji instead of Etoil. There will be always people who will think he has a mind of EST. So in my opinion he could better focus on our NT only. Don’t get it wrong because it is a full time job if you tell me. There’s a lot to do and a lot to fix.
What are your thoughst on this guys?
Posted from 
Netherlands
Ideally I would agree Bassem but Medeb and Taraji are desperate to win the African CL in 2010 and Ben Zarti is an integral part of that.
Facts are after the ANC in Angola there is not a single NT game for 6 months and even than the ANC qualifiers in a non World cup year are rather tame. IMO Ben Zarti can do both jobs until at least 2012 when the next set of WCQ gets underway.
I agree with you Nabil, after the ANC he can dedecate time to EST. Its better also for the club. Didn’t tought of that, were not going to the WC so there’s nothing to do.
Finally Mosaique fm finally posted something about Coelho getting dismissed!!
http://www.mosaiquefm.net/index/a/ActuDetail/Element/8852-Le-minist%C3%A8re-exige-le-limogeage-de-Coelho.html
Posted from United States
If anyone finds a link to the esperance match today cann you please post it! Thanks, I really appreciate it, I want to follow the Tunisian league more!
Posted from United States
Achraf, I’ll see what I can do:
here’s the African cup draw btw!
voila les groupes:
Group A: Angola, Malawi, Algeria, Mali.
Group B: Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Togo, Ghana. (Gruop of death)
Group C: Egypt, Mozambique, Benin, Nigeria.
Group D: Cameroon, Gabon, Zambia, Tunisia
Tunisia vs. Zambia is our first match.
Posted from United States
Here’s the link btw. I’ll write something up when I get a chance today. I was watching it live and was pleased we missed Cote d’Ivoire because we have an upcoming friendly with them and it surely would have been canceled it we ended up in their group. Same goes for Angola. Plus we get the Cameroon rematch 
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/africa/8371069.stm
Posted from United States
I wish we were in Algeria’s spot. Our group is pretty tough with Camroon and Gabon in it. Both of those teams had to fight it out to qualify for the world cup. But i have confidence in Tunisia if Benzarti is on the bench.
Posted from United States
Exactly Achraf, here’s a link for the Esperance JSK match btw: http://www.aflamedia.com/tv/tv7.htm 
Posted from United States
Some more if you need them: http://www.power-ess…ss-tv-ch-7.html
ou
http://fr.justin.tv/zapatinho20
Posted from United States
Nice poule guys African Cup of Nations. Especialy Egypte. We will see what they will do against Mozambique and Nigiria. Very interesting. We have a nice poule, hard but not impossible.
Posted from Netherlands
Yea bassem, its a good one for us. Chammam just scored an awesome free kick… 1-0 Esperance.
Posted from United States
Thank you Rami!!! Esperance is playing very well but they are playing against kairouane Good to see Ayari playing well!!! He got a goal!
Posted from United States
There are 2 group of deaths’s, ours and group B, don’t forget Gabon is a force to be reckeoned with, and Zambia is too, we have Experienced that under Lemerre’s reign and they are still improving, and we don’t even have to say anything about Cameroon, time for revenge maybe???
Posted from Netherlands
I am so excited for the camroon game, This game will really show if the players play with their hearts and play as hard as they can for the country to get revenge against camroon.
Posted from United States
Tunisia’s schedule for the African cup is …
13 January 2010 Zambia v Tunisia
17 January 2010 Gabon v Tunisia
21 January 2010Cameroon v Tunisia
Mark your calendars!
Here is the stadium Tunisia will be playing in for the African Cup, It looks really nice, it is newly built for the tournament and holds 25,000 people! Will Tunisians be going to angola now that benzarti is coaching?
http://pitchinvasion.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/lubango.jpg
Posted from United States
i still dont understand how darragi didnt start against mozambique, coelho must be blind or something. and its a shame ayari doesnt get to start, but eneramo and bienvenu are both better than him. maybe they should loan him out.
Posted from United States
I think Group B and D are very tough………Cameroon is a very good team, Zambia and Gabon is also to teams that’s very good better than Mozambique and Kenya, and Cameroon is better than Nigeria so it will be very difficult for us……………………..
Thamer eventually Eneramo will leave, and in the mean time i think Ayari will be better of staying with Benzarti instead of going somewhere where they don’t see the full potential he has, where would you like to see him loaned to?
Posted from Netherlands
idk, maybe ST or CAB where he could build a partnership with jabbari. those two on the pitch together are dynamite.
Posted from United States
That might be an option, but i’m not very fond of the idea of loaning him elsewhere though, ST might be good, they develope good youthplayers, Korbi, Sellami and Boussaidi all came from their youth academy.
Posted from Netherlands
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i heard that the algerian supporters kicked some egyptian ass in sudan hahaha what goes around comes around.. word!!!!
Posted from
Netherlands