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Injuries Force Changes in Carthage Eagles Attack

September 1st, 2008 | By: Rami | 16 Comments »

the replacements When a rising star like Amine Chermiti goes down with a serious knee injury right before a hugely important qualifier there’s cause for concern. When Silva Dos Santos, a proven goalscorer on the African scene and one of the main reasons we have a continental title to our name, follows a few days later, the word “concern” doesn’t fully encapsulate how a dedicated fan of the Tunisian national team feels. Needless to say, it wasn’t a bright week in terms of injury news.

Excuse the cliche but we’re just going to have to roll with the punches on this. We don’t have a choice and feeling sorry for ourselves won’t get us to our desired destination. A proactive approach is necessary for such a challenge and thankfully we have a coach who, so far, has shown that he is up to the task. To help cope with this heavy blow that has been dealt to our attack, Coelho has opted to recall Mehdi Ben Dhifallah and Mohammed Selliti to national team duty.

Despite being the main culprit in Angola’s equalizer a few weeks ago, Ben Dhifallah doesn’t deserve to be banished from the squad. Everyone makes mistakes but when you make a mistake that lead to a goal you’re bound to face more criticism than you usually would. A misplaced pass doesn’t make Mehdi any less of a player than we know he is (and can become in the future).

Tall, muscular, springy, with superb heading abilities, he weighs heavily on opposing defenses off the ball. Even when isn’t taking advantage of his goal scoring chances, Ben Dhifallah is a valuable asset because he is impossible to ignore. His imposing physique and bruising style of play don’t allow defenders to leave him unmarked. In addition, his familiarity with the national team setup means that he will fit right in and doesn’t need to acclimate to any personalities or egos.

What came as a surprise to some is the call up of Stade Tunisien striker, Mohamed Selliti. His tumultuous career has taken him from Tunis to Sousse and back to Tunis. When Amir Akrout left for Freibourg last year, many pundits proclaimed that Stade Tunisien would fade quickly. However, thanks to some brilliant coaching by Robertinho and astounding performances by Selliti and others, Stade Tunisien not only stayed in the top of the table but narrowly missed out on fourth place.

It’s true that Selliti has been away from the national team for a long period of time but what works in his favor is that he has a quality that any coach desires in an international: Efficiency. No movement is wasted with him. The ultimate end of every single maneuver he makes is to ensure that the ball ends up in the back of the net. It doesn’t matter how, it doesn’t matter if it’s pretty (although sometimes it’s very pretty), what matters is that it counts on the score sheet. This is exactly the type of realism we need for a do or die game that will not only determine whether we get to continue qualifying for the World Cup but also whether we get to take part in the next African Cup in Angola.

Can anyone imagine us being left out so early in the campaign? I really don’t even want to begin entertaining such ludicrousness. The mere fleeting thought is enough to induce depression. What is encouraging so far is that Coelho realized quickly that with Chermiti and Dos Santos out of the picture, he couldn’t travel to a must win match with a young and untested center forward.

As talented as Hichem Essifi may be, putting that kind of pressure on him when he played less than twenty minutes in a red and white jersey would be unfair to both him and us. Instead, our coach opted for a target man in Ben Dhifallah and a hold up man in Selliti. I personally get the feeling that Selliti, who has been aching to show that he can recover lost time with the national team, is going to absolutely lap this up. If he was ever going to prove that he has international quality, there has never been a better time to do it. Furthermore, there’s a bad boy edge, ruggedness, and combativeness that might prove useful in a hostile environment like Ouaga. Selliti is one player that will not back down from a fight. This is the fire that we have been missing in the NT.

Let’s not get ahead of ourselves though… Two players still have to be cut before that flight to Ouagadougou and anyone who doesn’t perform in practice is liable to be one of the two left behind. Current form and competitiveness has been the name of the game since Coelho started and there are no indications of that letting up. For now we’ll just have to trust his judgment. He hasn’t given us a reason not to yet.

Romdhankoum Mabrouk! Inshallah Kol 3am ou entouma 7ayin our B5ir!!!

Tags: CAF Qualifying 2008, Carthage Eagles, Group H, Humberto Coelho, Mehdi Ben Dhifallah, Mohamed Selliti

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Comments

By Tamim | September 1st, 2008 at 7:05 am

ramadan kareem for you rami and all tunisians isa….we kol sana we ento taybeen!!

By Skander | September 1st, 2008 at 8:18 am

Anything new about Chikhaoui too Le Havre????

L’article d’aujourd’hui du Havre Presse :

Citation
Jean-Pierre Louvel s’impatiente

Hier soir, le Président JP Louvel n’avait toujours pas officialisé la signature de la sixième recrue.

Ses hommes qui concèdent leur troisième défaite de rang. Sa recrue qui jour l’Arlésienne. Ses supporters qui tombent dans une embuscade … En un seul week-end, le président Louvel a encaissé les mauvais coups. A l’autre bout du fil, la voix peinait à cacher, non pas une inquiétude, mais une réelle préoccupation. Le dossier de la sixième recrue commence à lui donner le tournis. Hier, les nouvelles n’annonçaient …. aucune nouvelle.

Resté samedi soir au Havre pendant que son équipe se produisait à Nancy, dans l’espoir de conclure l’affaire et de présenter un nouvel attaquant au groupe dès hier matin, JP Louvel a attendu. Attendu. Rien n’est venu, “Malheureusement, rien n’a bougé. De notre coté nous avons avancé toutes nos pièces. On attend. La nuit prochaine, à minuit, le marché des transferts fermera. Et la piste de l’international tunisien du FC Zurich, partira en fumée. L’espoir de son arrivée au Havre flirte néanmoins avec l’utopie. “Le président du FC Zurich ne nous donne plus aucun signe de vie”, déplore JP Louvel.

Hamdi Saïdi, Tunisien de la section Handball de l’ESMGO et ami de Yassine Chikhaoui, aurait joint le joueur de Zurich samedi soir afin de savoir si son arrivée au Havre relevait de l’info ou de l’intox. Chikhaoui lui aurait confirmé les contacts avec le HAC tout en lui précisant qu’il poursuivrait très certainement sa carrière à Zurich. Chikhaoui aurait pu être l’une des attractions de la L1. Le rêve est passé, à moins que …. Ce lundi, il ne sera pas encore trop tard, mais au-delà de minuit, Chikhaoui ne pourra plus être enrolé en tant que joker, puisqu’évoluant dans un championnat étranger.

Bagayoko se fait désirer

Que l’affaire du Tunisien n’ait pu aboutir à un accord n’est cependant pas une surprise, vue sa complexité. Le HAC se sera au moins accroché jusqu’au bout. En revanche, que rien n’ait été encore signé hier soir avec le Nantais Bagayoko relève de la surprise. De la mauvaise surprise. Hier matin, le Malien aurait du être au centre technique de Saint-Laurent flanqué de son agent. Mais au lieu de celà, c’est via la presse nationale que Bagayoko a envoyé un message au HAC.
“Le Havre fait le forcing mais je veux rester ici (à Nantes, ndlr). J’ai aidé le club à monter, je suis sur que je vais rejouer.” Voilà qui a jeté un froid. “Aussitot, explique Franck Sale, recruteur du HAC, nous avons appelé son agent. Il nous a tout de suite rassurés.” Bagayoko tenterait simplement, avant de quitter Nantes, de récupérer son dû, à savoir cette prime d’accession que le président Nantais, Waldemir Kita, ne lui aurait toujours pas versée.

“Le joueur nous a donné son accord, assure Frack Sale. Je ne vois pas pourquoi il reviendrait sur sa décision.”

“Je ne comprends pas bien ce qu’il se passe, avouait hier, aux alentours de 19 heures, le patron du HAC. Chaque heure, on avance un peu plus mais pour le moment, on attend.” Dans la soirée, Bagayoko et son agent discutaient encore. “Franchement, je ne vois pas ce qui bloque, s’interroge Louvel. Nous lui avons proposé un contrat de trois ans. Ce n’est pas rien tout de même.” C’est un année de plus que le contrat qui liait encore hier soir l’international Malien au FC Nantes. Ce lundi matin, l’épilogue est espéré.

Source : Le Havre Presse du lundi 1er Septembre.

Could anyone of you that can speak french well translate this to a smaller version in english?

Posted from Sweden

By Skander | September 1st, 2008 at 9:25 am

The article i posted is something new but i meant in english hehe

Posted from Sweden

By Achraf | September 1st, 2008 at 9:31 am

To be honest with everyone, I would have rather brought zied Jaziri instead of selliti. That would have made my day. I just want Jaziri to get another chance and prove to Lemmere what he missed out on when not calling him up. He was our best player and did a good job against Saudi Arabia in WC 2006.

Posted from United States

By Rachid | September 1st, 2008 at 11:36 am

Rami, I could not agree with you more on all points. Glad you always see the glass half full! Ramadhan Mabrouk, everyone!

By Fahd | September 2nd, 2008 at 6:34 am

The article in Le Havre Presse today:

Citation
Jean-Pierre Louvel s’impatiente

Yesterday evening, President JP Louvel had not yet formalized the signing of the sixth rookie.

Its men who concede their third defeat of rank. His rookie that day Arlésienne. Its supporters who fall into an ambush… In a single weekend, the president Louvel has cashed bad shots. At the other end of the line, voice peinait to hide, not a concern, but a real concern. The case of the sixth rookie starts to give head spin. Yesterday, new n’annonçaient…. no news.

Stayed Saturday evening at Le Havre while his team happened to Nancy, hoping to conclude the case and submit a new attacker from the group yesterday morning, JP Louvel waited. Due. Nothing comes, “Unfortunately, nothing has changed. From our side we have put forward all our parts. It is expected. The next night, at midnight, the transfer market closes. And the trail of the international Tunisian FC Zurich, will start to smoke. The hope of his arrival in Havre nevertheless flirts with utopia. “The president of FC Zurich only gives us no sign of life,” laments JP Louvel.

Hamdi Saïdi, the Tunisian section of the Handball ESMGO and friend of Yassine Chikhaoui, have joined the Zurich player Saturday evening to see if his arrival at Havre fell on the news or the intox. Chikhaoui would have confirmed contacts with the HAC while specifying that it would almost certainly his career in Zurich. Chikhaoui could have been one of the attractions of the L1. The dream is past, unless…. On Monday, it will not be too late, but beyond midnight, Chikhaoui will no longer be enrolé as a joker, puisqu’évoluant in a league abroad.

Bagayoko is desired

That the case of Tunisian has been unable to reach agreement, however, is not a surprise, sight of its complexity. The HAC will be hung at least until the end. However, that nothing had yet been signed last night with Nantais Bagayoko is a surprise. The bad surprise. Yesterday morning, the Malian should have the technical centre of Saint-Laurent flanked by his agent. But instead of this, is through the national press that Bagayoko sent a message to the HAC.
“Le Havre forcing the fact but I want to stay here (in Nantes, ndlr). I helped the club to climb, I’m sure I’ll play. “This has cast a cold. “As soon,” said Franck Sale, recruiter of HAC, we called his agent. We immediately reassured. “Bagayoko attempt simply, before leaving Nantes, to recover his due, namely the premium assumption that President Nantais, Waldemir Kita, does it have still not paid.

“The player has given us his agreement ensures Frack Sale. I do not see why it would reconsider its decision. ”

“I do not understand what’s happening, confessed yesterday, around 19 hours, the boss of HAC. Each time, we advance a little more but for the moment, are expected. “In the evening, Bagayoko and his agent discussed yet. “Frankly, I do not see what is blocking asks Louvel. We have proposed a three-year contract. This is not anything anyway. “This is a year longer than the contract that was binding on yesterday evening the International Malian with FC Nantes. On Monday morning, the epilogue is hoped.

Source: Le Havre Presse on Monday 1st September.

By Fahd | September 2nd, 2008 at 6:38 am

Ramadhaan Moubarik To all

Skander I just used Google translate hope this helps a bit.

Anyhow I hope with all my Hart he does not go to the french league!!! This is nothing for him. He needs to go either to the Bundesliga or Premier League. For example he should go to Manchester City. This club with it’s new ARAB owners have a lot of money and big plans!!!

Hope Chikha reads this blog as well ;0)))

ciao

By Rami | September 2nd, 2008 at 9:08 am

Achraf, I don’t want to be the bearer of bad news but I really don’t foresee Jaziri making it back into the squad. From what I’ve gathered he isn’t even playing these days. He left his Kuwaiti teams training camp and last I heard isn’t even making it to practice. I love his heart and passion but an aging and out of shape Jaziri is not the answer right now.

Rachid, “Even when the whole word is falling on top of me, pessimism is an emotion not a philosophy.” (Courtesy of Immortal Technique). Glad we see this call up the same way.

Fahd, the mercato is over now so Chikhaoui won’t be moving till December. Hopefully by then he is back in shape and better than ever. I miss watching and reading about him! Haha, if he read this blog that would be tight! Tahar told Coelho about it so maybe he’s lurking lol.

Posted from United States

By Fahd | September 2nd, 2008 at 10:22 am

Yo Rami

Let’s try to make this visible to the players especially the ones who are playing in Europe. The can get all the info and help form us making them understand the European mentality and press!!

This might contribute a bit in a much better career for these youngsters, not that I am that old :0)????

Rami just a quick question. I will be in Washington between 21st and 27th of September. Do you have by any chance the prayer times for Arlington and maybe also the IMSAK times? THIS WOULD BE GREAT!!

Thanks a lot in advance.

By Achraf | September 2nd, 2008 at 2:45 pm

I am just really upset and having a bad day. First, I am fasting and the weather here in Maryland is hot. Second, I have a soccer practice, then I hear that Yassine Mikari will be absent for the Burkina Fason Game due to a head injury, and will be out 10 days. Who else can get injured. Chermiti,santos, chikhaoui, Namouchi and now Mikari. Those are 5 great players right there that would have made a major impact. Who do you guys think will be added to the roster and who will start in place of Mikari?

Posted from United States

By Rami | September 2nd, 2008 at 3:10 pm

Hey Achraf sorry you’re having a bad day. Enjoy soccer practice, take it easy on yourself, and keep your head up! I was going to write about that a little later today. Losing Mikari sucks but Chammam of EST hasn’t been bad at all recently. I think Yassine has some kind of concussion the team doctor gave him 10 days rest. Thing is, our national team doctors are asking him to come to Tunisia with the doctors note so they can do their own tests and find out whether or not he’s really THAT injured. It’s a classic tale of club versus country and there’s an outside chance that he travels (quite slim I imagine). We’ll see how it progresses. I’m not sure if anyone will be added to the roster. He might just consider this the first subtraction from the list while awaiting the next one to bring it down to the final 23. Although going to Burkina with one left back isn’t the best idea…

Fahd, I’ll have to look into that prayer time etc. information for you but I’ll get back to you with it asap. Also, I’m not sure the best way to get the players to read this. The fact that most aren’t anglophones doesn’t help but I put an ad on Tunisie foot for with links to the Etoile Offside and Tunisia WCB. Searching for more bloggers has proven quite difficult but I figure at least getting the word out is a start. If you have any ideas on how to better promote the site just let me know. I’m always open to new suggestions.

Posted from United States

By thamer | September 2nd, 2008 at 3:49 pm

just a side note, belaid scored another 2 goals this weekend for slavia.

Posted from United States

By Rami | September 2nd, 2008 at 4:24 pm

Yessir, gonna write about that tonight. You guys are on top of your Tunisian Footy news! Not that I’m surprised or anything

Posted from United States

By Abdullah | September 2nd, 2008 at 4:37 pm

Does anyone know what happened to benachour?

Posted from Netherlands

By Yassine | September 2nd, 2008 at 4:39 pm

I don’t think that Selliti will be starting the Burkina Fasso game. Coelho has called him just for backup. So we shouldn’t worry too much about his callup as he will most probably won’t be used.
Bendhifallah didn’t make the initial list because his form drop, so his callup is normal.
I think that Mouihbi, Belaid, Ben Khalfallah (or Darragi) and Bendhifallah will do fine in the attack.

By Yassine | September 2nd, 2008 at 4:41 pm

I almost forgot, Romdhankom mabrouk!

Comments are closed