List For Mozambique and Nigeria Revealed

A day after taming the Nile Crocodiles Humberto Coelho has revealed the roster for our upcoming World Cup qualifiers versus Mozambique (June 6th) and Nigeria (June 20th).

With the exception of the recently injured Issam Jemaa, it’s a very competitive squad and quite an athletic one as well. Maybe not as creative as some would have liked in terms of the midfield but there are still options for us to exploit.

Some expats are back, some aren’t while the local players who performed admirably yesterday were incorporated. As usual though, the list isn’t devoid of surprises. Let’s take a look.

The List

Goalkeepers: Hamdi Kasraoui, Aymen Mathlouthi, Jacem Khalloufi

Defenders: Anis Boussaidi, Radhouane Felhi, Seif Ghezal, Karim Haggui, Bilel Iffa, Radhi Jaidi, Ammar Jemal, Yassine Mikari, Khaled Souissi

Midfielders: Tijani Belaid, Fahid Ben Khalfallah, Wissem Ben Yahia, Oussama Darragi, Chadi Hammami, Khaled Korbi, Houcine Ragued

Attackers: Sami Allagui, Amine Chermiti, Mohamed Ali Ghariani, Issam Jomaa, Lassad Nouioui, Ali Zitouni

Notable Omissions

Yassine Chikhaoui: Naturally everyone was overjoyed at the prospect of having our crown jewel back in the lineup or at least in the list for these crucial matches. However, Humberto Coelho was very clear (audio link) when asked why the player wasn’t incorporated and I think his reasoning makes perfect sense. Coelho said that he spoke to both the Barcelona doctors and the Zurich medical staff before determining that Chikhaoui wasn’t quite ready for the physical stresses of African football. It’s true he’s been playing a bit but he still hasn’t even been aligned for a full half. He has a strict rehabilitation schedule which needs to be adhered to and its better to take it slow so as not to endanger his career further. Plus the knee needs to be revalued in Paris in a week or so. I think that’s totally legitimate and, frankly, with the way Darragi is playing we can afford to wait for a player of Yassine’s caliber. Better safe than sorry…

Chaouki Ben Saada: After claiming that there was room in the national team for him Coelho has had to forego his reconciliation with the player due to an unspecified injury. If anyone knows more about it let us know. Would’ve been nice to have him but the midfield is still solid without him. Not as offensive as some might like but I still think we have the tools to put in positive performances in both our upcoming matches.

Aymen Demai: After two rather unconvincing performances against Holland and Kenya, the youngster has been dropped by Coelho. This comes despite the fact that he scored last week for his club team. It’s true that he improved considerably in the Kenya game compared to the one against the Dutch but I don’t disagree with this decision. We simply have better options.

Karim Nafti: Called up against Kenya because Coelho judged that he had improved in the defensive department of the game that he so often neglects but won’t be making a return this time around. Could’ve been useful to have him as a creative element in our midfield but I guess he can’t be that creative if he never even makes it onto the field…

Aymen Abdennour: From what I read he played well yesterday, I guess Coelho still considers Ammar Jemal to be a useful left back. Ultimately the position is Mikari’s…

Notable Additions

Khaled Korbi: Coelho clearly appreciated his tenacity and aggression in midfield (I always use that second word to describe him I realize). Many aren’t the biggest fans of his quotes and attitude but you can’t deny the guy has some qualities that we can use. Especially against Nigeria. His “I’m better than you” outlook is something we haven’t had in the side since Saber Ben Fraj. Both of them can be a liability (see SBF’s spitting incident against Cameroon and kicking incident against Cote d’Ivoire) but if you can get them to channel their energies in the right direction then you have something you can definitely work with.

Yassine Mikari: Our best left back. No real argument about it. Only good thing is that he’s recovered from his injury in time. I really hope he stays healthy as it seems he keeps getting knocks right before big matches. I’d love to see him start against Mozambique but it’s possible he won’t considering he hasn’t played with us for a while. Time will tell but it’s good to have him back.

Issam Jemaa: I only put him here because he was included even though he’s suffering from an injury which might require some rest. He could be replaced in the list in the upcoming days but according to Mosaique the medical staff is going to do everything in their power to have him ready. The only real negative news of the day really.

Chadi Hammami: First call-up under Coelho for the ever improving CSS midfielder. He made a big mistake against Burundi last time Lemerre relied on him, let’s just hope he forgot about that one (I haven’t). Happy for him though as his club performances make him worth of the spot. We’ll see if he can confirm…

Your Turn

What do you guys think? Good list? Bad list? Who did I forget to highlight in terms omissions and additions? As usual, I’m looking forward to your comments and the ensuing debate.