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Step 6: Mozambique vs. Tunisia Preview
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As I’m writing this post, our players have already landed in Maputo and will have one training session in the afternoon.
They’ll then have one more the next day and after that it’s showtime. Personally I wish I could just watch this match right now but given that our players are still getting accustomed to their new environment then I’ll continue to wait impatiently (as if I have a choice?)…
I’m not going to go into too many details regarding Mozambique since I covered those bases in the Goal.com preview I wrote. We know that they’re cohesive, like to play a team game inspired by their Dutch coach Martin Nooij and can move that ball around if allowed to.
However, given Humberto Coelho’s latest interviews before our Djerba training camp (which reportedly went very well aside from a minor ankle sprain suffered by FBK on the first day), we’re set to take the game right to them. As in, our aim is to not allow Mozambique to enjoy time on the ball and to build their attacks how they like to.
While the details of how we’re actually going to implement our gameplan are naturally something of a secret, it does not take a rocket scientist to realize that when our coach says “you can’t let them play” that he means we’re going to employ a high press just like we successfully did against Nigeria in our second game against them.
If we do this like we know how to, there is no reason that we can’t notch a win in Maputo and end the Mambas impressive home unbeaten streak which has lasted almost two years. Honestly, this is the perfect test for us.
Tunisians (and objective observers) have often been frustrated by our team’s lack of audacity and over reliance on a stern defense. If we had scored a lot of goals against Kenya then maybe our players would have gone into this match thinking that a draw would be enough and we’d see anti-football of the highest degree.
Instead, as fate would have it, we’re going to have to earn this qualification through attacking play. It’s not that we don’t know how to attack, we have team jam packed with technique, skill and goal scoring ability but sadly we’ve seldom thrown caution to the wind in favor of a true strategy of deliberately breaking down our opponents. The risk involved is something we’ve often tried to dodge in recent years but we have no choice now if we want our just reward.
How else do you explain that the best football we’ve seen from our Eagles has come when we were chasing after a result? Think of Cameroon in the 2008 African Cup or more recently Nigeria in Abuja and you can see why it’s frustrating to be a fan of our team because we know that we are capable of showing our quality when we let go of our apprehensions.
This time all we hope to see is a sustained commitment to throw everything we have at our opponents for the full 90 minutes. At least then if things don’t go our way there will be no regrets over our tactics and we’ll be able to have a clear conscience knowing that our team gave it all they had. And in all seriousness, if we play like we know how, we have the ability to not only beat Mozambique but to do it convincingly. It’s all a matter of mentality though and it will be up to our coach to instill confidence in his troops.
That starts with the elimination of fearing the negative result and instead embracing the glorious opportunity ahead of us. I never want to hear our footballers talk about “fear” again. Respect is one thing, prudence is one thing, but fear? Fear of what? It’s football! It’s time to play it from start to finish, not for one half and then start watching the clock. That is crippling and this is our chance to take a big step past this nasty tendency.
It’s cliche but I’ll say it: Fortune favors the brave and I know our players are fighters. They don’t fear Mozambique but they do fear losing this chance of a place in the first African World Cup so this will be a mental test for all of them. I believe in them and know that they can pass it by channeling their emotions in a positive way. If they approach this game like the away match against the Super Eagles and keep that up a whole game I am confident we can emerge victorious.
Ultimately, this match is one for the players. They are the principal actors and while Coelho’s decisions including lineups and tactics will have a role in the final outcome, the truth is that whatever team he puts out there will be capable of beating Mozambique if they play to their full potential. Whether they actually end up doing so or not is another story but let us consider factors that might contribute to a positive result in one way or another.
The Starting 11
Goalkeeper: Can’t imagine anyone but Mathlouthi starting and would be shocked if it was anyone else.
Defense: With the exception of the possibility of Chahed starting instead of Souissi at right back expect the usual cast of characters here. That means a backline composed of: Souissi/Chahed, Haggui, Ghezal, and Mikari.
I liked what I saw from Chahed against Saudi Arabia and I think that using him wouldn’t be as big a gamble as it’s being made out to be. Given Coelho’s aversion to big changes it seems likely we’ll see Khaled on the right side again.
Our coach is closer to the players and has a much better read on whether or not giving Chahed his first match in Africa in such a big game would be wise so we’ll give him the benefit of the doubt on this one.
Midfield: This is where things start to get less clear. The eternal and almost philosophical question at this point is whether we’ll play with two or three defensive midfielders. Considering the fact that Coelho used three against these same opponents in our first encounter against them in Rades, you’d think he’d be doing the same in an away match where the opposing coach has promised to go for a win right?
Back then we had Ben Yahia in the match alongside Ragued and Korbi. He’s not in the list and the only other defensive midfielders we have in the squad are Jamel Saihi and Haythem Mrabet. Given how the former looked against Saudi Arabia it’d be hard to imagine us using him in this game in that same capacity. Granted, that was a just a little under a month and he could be in much better shape right now.
My hope is that we don’t use three but if we do then I guess Mrabet would be the option I’d pick. He had that great assist in Abuja and is combative. My only concern is that sometimes he’s a little reckless with his challenges but I doubt he’d do anything rash in a match this important.
If we go with two defensive midfielders expect Ragued and Korbi to start. They have already shown their immense capacity of pressuring opponents and suffocating anyone on the ball. Then who would the two offensive midfielders be? There are four options: Zouhaier Dhaouadi, Chaouki Ben Saada, Oussemma Darragi, and Fahid Ben Khalfallah.
One player that absolutely needs to start the match is Darraginho. The kid has been the architect of many of our wins and anyone who tells you otherwise is holding a grudge against Esperance. He’s not perfect, no one is but what he’s brought to our team in terms of creativity in Chikhaoui’s absence is nothing short of spectacular.
One of the main reasons we struggled mightily against the Mambas in Rades is that it took him so long to be subbed into the match and once he did he settled it practically on his lonesome, finishing with aplomb from distance and then giving Ghariani a silver platter assist that the forward wasted. Coelho learned his lesson since then and Oussemma has been a mainstay ever since, as he should be.
The question of who gets to play alongside him is not a simple one but my vote would be for Fahid if he is fully recovered from the ankle sprain (and only if). He’s been in sublime form for Valenciennes and is the type of players that will run and run and then run some more. Dhaouadi fits into that same category but I’d like to see him come in as a super sub to change the complexion of our attack and keep Mozambique on their heels. Based on skill Ben Saada can also do this but out of the three I’m rating him the least apt to do it due to his recent performances at club level.
Strikeforce: Obviously this segment of the field is affected by whether or not we use five midfielders or four. If we go with our usual 4-5-1 which converts into a 4-3-3 when we’re going forward then I think Amine Chermiti is the man who can lead the line in this game. Issam Jemaa has not been getting very much playing time with Lens and we don’t want to find out the hard way that he’s not ready.
Nevertheless, if he does play, I’ll be the first to support him. He’s our leading scorer and even if he misses a lot there’s something to be said about his dedication to the Tunisia jersey, the depth he gives us, and how hard he fights to regain possession. He’s the type of player who gives everything thing he has and then some more even when he’s running on empty… but then again, so is Chermiti.
This is a tough call for our coach but I have a feeling we’ll see Jemaa in attack simply because every time he has been available, he’s started (he was injured against Mozambique in our first match and then also out in our home game against Nigeria).
But what if we play with two strikers? Who would those two be? I’ve mentioned it before in a previous post but I’ll say it again, the last time we actually put in an emphatic win (4-0 against Sudan) it was with Allagui and Chermiti as the attacking duo. I think they could cause some major damage.
The idea of Jemaa with Chermiti doesn’t make that much sense to me. I don’t really know why but something about it rubs me the wrong way (perhaps because both are lefty?). Same goes with Allagui and Jemaa but maybe I’m overthinking things…
Match Time: Saturday, November 14, 2009 at 2:00 PM Tunisia Time, 8:00 AM Eastern Standard Time (ie. for those of you like myself on the East coast here in the US)
Reminder On Full Squads
Mozambique
Goalkeepers: Kampango (Tersana), Marcelino (Liga Muculmana)
Defenders: Dário Khan (Al Hilal), Fanuel (Liga Muculmana), Miro (Wits University), Paito (FC Sion), Simão (Panathinaïkos), Whisky (Ferroviario Maputo)
Midfielders: Carlitos (SuperSport United), Danito Parruque (Ferroviario Maputo), Dominguez (SuperSport United), Genito (Budapest-Honved), Gonçalves Fumo (Olhanense), Mano (El Gouna), Momed Hagy (Ferroviario Maputo), Nelinho (Desportivo Maputo)
Strikers: Dário Monteiro (Nea Salamina), Maurício (Lamontville Golden Arrows), Sonito (Desportivo Maputo), Tico-Tico (Orlando Pirates)
Tunisia
Goalkeepers: Aymen Mathlouthi (Etoile), Hamdi Kasraoui (Lens), Jassem Khaloufi (CSS)
Defenders: Aymen Abdennour (Etoile), Sofiène Chahed (Hannover 96), Khaled Souissi (CA), Yassine Mikari (Sochaux), Radhouène Felhi (Munich 1860), Seif Ghzel (Young Boys), Ammar Jmal (Etoile), Karim Haggui (Hannover 96)
Midfielders: Khaled Korbi (Esperance), Haythem Mrabet (CSS), Houcine Ragued (Slavia Prague), Jamel Saihi (Montpellier), Oussemma Darragi (Esperance), Zouhaier Dhaouadhi (CA), Fahid Ben Khalfallah (Valenciennes), Chaouki Ben Sâada (OGC Nice)
Strikers: Sami Allagui (Greuther Furth), Amine Chermiti (Al-Ittihad), Issam Jomâa (Lens), Ali Zitouni (Antalyaspor)
Final Thoughts
As I previously noted, whatever lineup, tactic, formation, gameplan, or style we go for, the only thing that matters is that we leave everything on that synthetic pitch. The analysis of why we succeeded or failed in our quest for a World Cup place will come, but for those 90 minutes (and a few extra for added time) our hearts will be with whoever is on the field fighting so that our flag is waving proudly in winds of South Africa come next June.
Based on our run through these qualifiers I believe we are the most deserving team in the group (that’s from a dispassionate and analytical reading of each game thus far) but football (and life) is not about what you deserve, it’s about what you take. Our destiny is in our hands, let’s take it!
Allez Louled Jibouhaaaaaaaa! Forza Tounes! Inshallah Marbou7a!
Displaying the most recent 25 comments from a total of 256 comments.
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I apologise to all Tunisians who were offended by some of my Nigerian countrymen. Tunisia is a great african footballing nation with a bright future and a worthy opponent. Tunisia made our group the most competitive and interesting and both teams fought to the end with a passion that we can both be proud of.
Assil bare with me…, see what kind of coach Egypte has, see what kind of coach Nigiria has, if you ask me… we’ve got to stop with all due respect to the forgein coaches, stop getting them in to Africa.
Mozambique has a dutch coach that for crying out loud didn’t even achieve promoting to a fourth division or has skills in the Netherlands. He is going to take all the credit of yesterdays match instead of the players that deserve all the credits of this achievement.
We’ve got to develop some coaches from our own countries that carry the same passion, skill and tacktical experience as the coaches of Nigiria and Egypte. A hole lot of more passion to the nation and the flag.
Moha: No problem bro, we will recover from this tragedy but it will take some time. What doesn’t kill you, will make you stronger. I rather have it like this then otherwise. The only thing i see developing wich i am very proud of in Africa is that every compatator and every nation is making a giant leap forwards and can be very hard to play against at home and away. This is something that developed it self during the years. This will make African soccer even better and respected all over the world. We will hope to see this in South Africa 2010. Hope it will be a World Cup to remember for a long time even without Tunisia.
Posted from 
Netherlands
ITS A SHAME THAT CLOWNS WHO ARE PURPORTEDLY SUPPORTERS OF THE NIGERIAN NATIONAL TEAM HAVE POSTED COMMENTS HERE WHICH PROVES THEIR LACK OF INTELLECT AND CAPACITY TO UNDERSTAND SIMPLE BASICS OF THE GAME NOT TO MENTION STUFF SUCH AS TEAM SELECTION, TACTICS AND FORMATION. SHUIABU AMODU REMAINS THE ONLY COACH TO HAVE QUALIFIED THE NATIONAL TEAM TWICE FOR THE WORLD CUP. HE TOOK THE TEAM THROUGH AN UNBEATEN RUN IN THE JUST CONCLUDED QUALIFIERS! YET, MORONS WHO CHOOSE TO IGNORE FACTS, ARE FOAMING IN THE MOUTH AND CALLING FOR HIS SACK! WHAT IDIOTS! FOOTBALL IS ABOUT HOW GOOD YOU ARE ON THE DAY. WE WON YESTERDAY ON THE BUMPY PITCH IN NAIROBI WHILE THE TUNISIAN NATIONAL TEAM DID NOT SHOW UP FOR THE PARTY IN MAPUTO!
In the end, Coelho will not feel the same as us, i think he’s bummed that we didnt make it, but he won’t have sleepless nights about it.
Unlike him i see myself waking up each day only to find myself thinking about it the 1st thing in the morning.
The only thing that maybe can make me forget this huge loss is if we win the ACN next year, and even then i still don’t feel like watching the damn World Cup.
The biggest emotion i’m feeling right now is not sadness, not anger, not envy, no none of those are bugging me as much as the SHAME i feel right now.
Posted from Netherlands
My only wish now is to sack that bastard, coelho and give the responsibility to a tunisian coach. Benzarti for example but i don’t even think he wants the job because the FTF never let them do their job. I have nothing to look forward too now. He should have trusted the 4-2-3-1 formation in the end.
Posted from 
Sweden
Other then Benzarti, who are other great Tunisian Coaches that would be available for the job? The only great coaches in Tunisia I know are:
Benzart
Y.Zouaoui
Ayo from the 6o’s to the early 90’s Tunisia was anything but a conservative nation footballistically. 1994 ANC demise brought in an era of conservatism that at the time was very much needed as our football had little to no discipline or organization. It brought a historic era of success as went from a nation that could not even quality for the ANC to one the top nations in CAF, perennial WC reps and finally ANC winners in 2004.
That said football like anything else requires change, the conservative philosophy has run it’s course. We have seen it in our WC debacle in Germany 06, our disappointments at the last two ANC’s and finally our failure to qualify for SA 2010, conservatism is hindering us far more than it’s propelling to the next level, as a matter of fact we have taken a significant step backwards.
Any nation must pay to it’s strengths and for too long we have not, the likes of Zied Jaziri have been trying to get the FTF to comprehend that fact since we were humiliated in Germany nearly four years ago. Clubs such as Esperance, Club Africa nor our youth teams i. U 17 Wold cup in Korea in 2007 play so rigidly, we’re hardly Brazil or Spain but we definitely can play the sort of football that the likes of Egypt, USA, Turkey etc have employed to propel them to great success.
The starting eleven and the subs he made are just ridiculous, how can you trust a coach who made such a fuckup on such a crucial occasion?
I mean i really liked the guy up till this point, i just can’t forgive him for this.
Rami what do you think sack or give him more time, imo opinion he made a unforgivable mistake but on the other hand he has brought a lot to this team, does this mistake outweigh the total efforts of Coelho?
Posted from Netherlands
Abdullah, I like him to up until this point! And I think now we have to look at the plus side, This is a young team and has only 3 players that were at the 2006 World Cup (Kasraoui, Hagui, and Ben Saada), So we did change a whole team and were building around Hagui and brought in Younger players that are developing. So I really see improvement in our future, and I really see Darragi, Dhouadi, and Chermiti becoming stars in years to come! Also I like what I saw in Taider in the short span he was with us. We also have great young players in the domestic league with Msakni, Ayari, Hadhria, Ifa, Abdennour, Jmel, etc!
But we really need to find a RIGHT BACK, Souissi is not the solution, he made so many mistakes in the game that were preventable.
So we should not blame all of it on Coelho even though it was his fault and the players in maputo. But I just dont know right now, I think I am going with a wait and see what happens in Angola if I watch it of course!
The one move I dont understand most about the move Coelho did with putting Darragi on the bench, Darragi won you the game in Kenya by assisting jemaa’s goal in March, He scored you a goal against Mozambique in June, He Won you the game in Abuja with his game winning goal, he won you the game against Kenya by assisting jemaa in the first minute of the game last month! What else do you want him to do?
We would have never been in first place without Darragi the whole time we would have been out already in June!
Rabbi yidi wika haw!
Achraf Cohelo outsmarted even himself.
Clearly Cohelo underestimated Mozambique, yet another unforgivable error by him.
Cohelo simply figured 0-0 HT, bring on Darragi, bing, bam, boom, we take control, score a few goals and SA 2010 is in the bag.
I don’t think sacking him at the moment is an option. The best thing to do is let him sing his contract out and not extend it before we lose more money on him. We wasted enough money on him lets not make it more. Don’t know till when he signed, but let him finish.
After the African Cup of Nations we will make an rapport of what he produced untill now and sack him then. Even a coach can make mistakes but, good and bad coaches make a difference between themselfs in crucial times and crucial decision making. And he proved him self pretty damn wrong a couple of times.
So lets sing this one out and wait till after the AC and then we’ll talk further about the coach issue. No its time for rest and debat. We know that we fucked up big time and even players we thought that would produce more didn’t ( Chermiti ) for instans.
What could go wrong went wrong and i woke up this morning still thinking it was a bad dream, but when i saw teletext and this blog again i realized it was defenatly over. Feel sick and can’t get nothing through my stomach at the moment. Tomorrow hit the gym for a couple of hours and beat the shit out of the boxing ball.
Posted from Netherlands
Is Coelho fired yet?!
Posted from Netherlands
Well said Bassem.
We really have no option but to wait until Angola 2010 is finished.
After that sadly with no WC we will have well over 6 months before qualification for the 2012 ANC in Libya begins. At that time a complete overhaul of the FTF should be well underway, the services a real manager ala Ben Zarti can be retained and inshAllah we can and will develop a real long term strategy to take the NT to another level.
As the cliche goes “the night is darkest before the dawn.”
We have the ability to bounce back from great disappointments ala ANC 1994 and 2002 mess. This latest failure whilst extremely painful is yet another opportunity to tackle the issues that have hindered the NT for nigh on 4 years.
I realy hope that what you say will come true Nabil, i would also like Ben Zarti as coach with maby Zoubayer Baya and Adel Sellimi with him on his side.
Posted from Netherlands
Coelho is the man to blame. He is the person who made the misstakes that didn´t take our country to a new World Cup for us. But I still think that Coelho is the right man to coach our Carthages Eagles.
Above I read that many bloggers are furious with his defensive formation, and that he don´t have an idea in how to attack. But if u compare him 2 Roger Lemerre, I think that time will do him well. He brought in the hole squad, a squad that is very young. He believed in his own vision, and said goodbye 2 players like Mnari, Benachour,, Chedli, Jaziri, dos Santos and instead Korbi took a place in the middle, Taider to, Souissi (that can be the new Trabelsi) and last but most important Darragi. A player that if he just don´t psycical collaps can be one of the greatest player in the hole world.
In a few years, when the players have the right age, Tunisia will be a incredible team and probably Africas best. Players like Darragi and Chikhaoui are still young. If Yassine played yesterday, we would probably see a new tunisiann team on pitch. And that´s really depressing, that we can´t play good fottball without our stars. But there is other teams just like us. Look att Bosnia example, without Dzeko and Ibizevic there will not be a World Cup for them. Or Portugal? Without Deco and Ronaldo, they feels like Kenya..Ukraine with Shevchenko..
I can´t describe my dissapointment with yesterdays performance in Maputo. But fact is, we dont have our best players at the moment. When next World Cup is going to take stage in Brazil 2014, Darragi will be 25 years old and Chikhaoui 26. Lassad may be a starting man in the team, Chermiti will also grow up and maybe find the happiness to play for his country. Other players that i want to see more about is the new rising star on the left flank Z. Douahadi.
Cote d’ivoire (that i Think is the best country i Africa at the moment) are playing the last World Cup, beacause without Drogba, Toure, Zokora, Eboue (the generation that play at this era) they will be the same team like they where 7 years ago.
So my tunisian brothers all over the world. Don´t stop hoping..beacuse the future is ours!
Posted from Sweden
Unlucky Tunisian brothers.
That can suck big time. Now you need to see what lessons could be learned and next time INSHAALLAH you will make it.
Greetings from an Egyptian.
You can have Zidane, Ronaldo, Pele and Maradonna but they’re worthless if you do not build a system that caters to their quality.
Cohelo has been too damn conservative, yes we grinned out results, important results against Burkina Faso, Kenya and Nigeria but generally it’s been another Tunisian hit and hope, sneak a result, conservative approach that has failed to take us too the next level.
Tunisians want too see football, My eyes can’t be any greener when I watch Egypt. Pre Sheehta they were boring as hell at the 2000. 2002 and 2004 ANC but via the quality at Al-Ahly built my Manual Jose, Sheehta turned Egypt into an outstanding NT.
Why can’t Tunis follow suit????
We have four top clubs in Taraji, Njem, Afriki and Sfax and unlike Egypt an call upon more quality in Europe, yet our football identity at a national level is still skewed. We’re still built to nullify the opposition rather than taking the game by the throat and trusting our quality too see us through.
A foreign manager does not know Tunisian football, does not understand whom are the elite players and do not trust in our quality. If we’re going to hire a foreign manager give me a Hiddink if not it’s high time to hand the reigns over to a local manager whom understands playing not to loss will not suffice and will almost always fail in leading any NT in fulfilling their aspirations and in the case of Tunis that is winning the ANC and making a real impact at the WC.
Due to yet another conservative approach we won’t even get the chance to achieve anything at the WC and as it stands the odds of us winning the ANC in Angola are quite remote. Need a drastic change in out football philosophy ASAP.
Mabrook Amir.
My word what a game that was in Masr yesterday, just a shame both Egypt and Algeria can’t qualify for the WC. Odds are definitely in your favor and being back-back CAF champs no logical person can begrudge Egypt qualifying for SA 2010.
Can you guys imagine Zied Jaziri as a head coach of national team!!
Wow he would be a mini Benzarti, Jaziri does not play when it comes to his country!
He has a future and we will see him one day coach!
Posted from 
United States
Achraf that would be entertaining too say the least.
Jaziri & Dihab are two men I would love too see have a prominent role in Tunisian footnball. Both say what they mean and mean what they say, both could also not care less about taking on anyone, honest, stand up and fearless men, precisely the type of character we are lacking in the FTF.
To Nabil..
How can ju say that Tunisia don´t need a foreign manager?? Roger Lemeree took Tunisia to their first win in CAN2004?? Tunisia have been brought to 4 World Cup´s in a row..and all those times we had foreign managers..and maybe you can ask yourself why they always have those managers from other countrys? Because Tunisian coaches isn´t so good as you think.
Our strength is the organisation, our team is build from defense to attack. And organisation isn´t something that tunisian managers are tactical good in..do you really think that Tunisian would have been beating Maroc in th qualifiers without Lemerre? So u wanted us 2 play attacking football those matches!? Pleace..we all have to think deeper..they wont sack Coelho at the moment..that´s fact!
Assil,
You said nigeria are lucky, i agree with u. there is always an element of luck in soccer. but you showed that u re naive & blind to say cameroun and nigeria will fade very soon. these 2 countries have youth stars that participated in U-20 WC in egypt last month and you saw a nigeria U-17 side this month reached the final out of 24 teams. Did tunisia participated in any of these tournaments? where is your african future ahead of nigeria and cameroun?
always think before u talk.
Posted from 
Switzerland
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Nigeria are lucky, no where as good as yesteryear.cameroon and nigeria will fade in the years to come u will see.chikha will become the jewell of africa. Tunisia need to try 4-3-3 with jemma chikha and chermitti or darragi. My point is to introduce a coach with an attacking mentality so that at least if we concede our approach will be the right one still.just look at egypts approach yesterday.they are not technically or physically superior, just that they have that mentallity that “YOU ARE NOT GOING TO STOP US SCORING” and just went for the throat. even tho i wanted algerians to win i admired the fact the pharoes go for it attitude.just wish we could do the same and forget this cautious “italian”approach we have. I stand by my word we have more potential than any other team in africa!!!!