World

Africa

Tunisia

Tunisia 0-1 Saudi Arabia: Better Now Than Later

October 14th, 2009 | By: Rami | 363 Comments »

Dhaouadiiii So after all the talk about us wanting to bounce back from our unimpressive yet crucial 1-0 victory over Kenya by putting forth a good performance against Saudi Arabia, we didn’t get exactly what we asked for.

As soon as the match began it was abundantly clear that Saudi Arabia were more motivated and perhaps just more awake. They looked dangerous from the opening kick and forced a corner in the second minute which resulted in a Nasser Chamrani header that caught both our central defenders napping (Felhi especially) and also prompted Hamdi Kasraoui to make one of his typical mistakes judging both the trajectory of the ball and the appropriate moment to intercept it.

From then on out, our squad, which had only one holdover (Jemal) from the team that started against Kenya was basically condemned to chasing the match in search of an equalizer. Needless to say, that isn’t exactly a simple thing to do when you’re using a team that has never played together before outside of the training ground.

Despite some desire shown by the players to react and get back on level terms, the lack of cohesiveness in midfield as well as the lack of a final pass or a finishing touch to the few passes that did make it (thinking of FBK’s volleyed miss here) didn’t allow for us to break down a well drilled Saudi unit which, it must be said, was missing some key players who did not travel to the team due to club commitments.

The way the game was going suited our visitors a lot more than it suited us considering our glaring inability to set up organized and effective attacks against a team that was content to sit back and give us a dose of our own medicine (counter attacking football). The only players that stood out from the pack were Zouheir Dhaoudi and Sofian Chahed while Aymen Abdennour also had a couple moments.

Seeing that the Carthage Eagles were heading for what would (and now is) only their second loss under his command, Humberto Coelho brought out some of the big guns in the second half (Jemaa, Taider, Korbi, and Zitouni) to hopefully nab an equalizer and we immediately looked more balanced and finally were doing a much better job pressuring the opposition.

Unfortunately the last touch of class eluded us time and time again and we also came close to conceding a second and would have if not for some great last ditch defending by Haythem Mrabet who continues to show that, when given a chance, he really does have something to offer to this team.

As time dwindled down it became increasingly apparent that Coelho would suffer his first loss since our 3-1 defeat at the hands of France in St. Denis and that’s how things ended. Despite the result, the match did give us some insights into which players could be counted on for our final qualifier versus Mozambique.

I’m not going to discuss every single player that took part but here’s a look at the ones that stood out to me for better or for worse:

Noteworthy Players

Hamdi Kasraoui: What can I say that hasn’t already been said before? The guy needs competition and he needs it now. Nothing can replace playing in real matches with real pressure and training with Lens just isn’t going to cut it in the long term. Hope he can nab a starting spot somehow to lift his level because his mistake on our goal really was the worst way to start his first game in months. Even though there’s shared responsibility with the defenders who didn’t help him out by not covering the player, he should know when to stay on his line and when not to. I just hope Balbouli doesn’t pick up an injury because Hamdi is just not reassuring.

Sofian Chahed: One of the match’s pleasant surprises for me. It was great to see a right back at right back for once and frankly it could be argued that he looked better than he was just because I was subconsciously comparing him to Khaled Souissi who, despite his much appreciated efforts, simply doesn’t have the speed or technique for the position.

The Hannover player is a shoo-in for the spot as far as I’m concerned but we’ll see if Coelho is prepared to start him in a must win match in an African setting. It’s hard for us to determine whether he’d be ready for such a thing since we don’t much about his character but a German temperament should be helpful right?

Zouheir Dhaouadi: The most dynamic player on the field during the first half and one that fit in very well with a makeshift starting lineup in the second. He’s just a cut above of in terms of speed and acceleration and you’d be hard pressed to convince me that we can afford to keep a guy like him in the stands rather than on the bench or the field.

If he’s healthy come November, he has to be on the team. He already made a fantastic contribution in Abuja in very little time and this outing only confirmed what many of his fans already know. Could have had an assist if not for some poor positioning by Jemaa. Coelho has a real decision to make as far as the starting lineup because I’d rather have today’s Zou than Sunday’s Ben Saada in that position.

Khaled Korbi: Poor guy took one for the team as he got nailed in the nuts by Kasraoui’s knee while rushing back to defend a counter attack but the former Bardo Boy returned to the pitch and continued to do what he does best, hassling opponents and just imposing himself physically.

The grinta he brings to the team cannot be underestimated and that almost ever-present frown on his face is pretty intimidating too! Took a couple of corners for good measure to show off another aspect of his game that he has been developing. He’s successfully won me over throughout the qualifiers and today’s match was nothing different.

Lassad Nouioui: After a few relatively good touches he just never settled into the game and wasted the few opportunities he had to create something when he got the ball. He may have great technique but he still just doesn’t look comfortable and who can blame him as its technically only his first match with us.

A mediocre outing is no reason to give up on him though but if its between him or Chermiti next month then I know I’d go with the latter because Amine not only knows Africa better but he has a well established history of delivering on big occasions. Plus he’s back in shape and scoring at club level, having tallied two goals with Al Ittihad today in their friendly against Egypt’s Harras Al Hoodood (thanks to Hany for pointing that out). Lassad will have plenty to give us in the future and no one is going to make a definitive judgment after a single half but for now I think we need players who know the team better and have started big matches on our continent.

Haythem Mrabet: If we didn’t have a Korbi and a Ragued in the team I’d be pulling for him to start but I think that it’s great we have such good competition at the defensive midfield position between these three.

Ali Zitouni: Before the match kicked off he told Mosaique FM that he wanted to seize his chance and I think he did just that. Made me wonder what would have happened if we put a player like him into our game against Kenya. Even though he was probably one of the older players, if not the oldest, on the field, he looked very lively and showcased some on the ball skills that I didn’t even remember him having. Too bad he never really got a chance to put a shot on goal but I think that he made a point to Coelho that he can be relied on if necessary. Props to him for doing so.

Conclusions

So long as our players stay fit and injury free, we’re basically going to see the same team that started in Abuja debut the game in Maputo with the exception of Souissi who could be potentially replaced by Chahed and Dhaouadi who could potentially take Ben Saada’s place. I think the situation at right back is more likely to change than the latter just because the difference is so flagrant while the other one a little less so. Plus Dhaouadi can be a real game changer off the bench.

Some players utilized this match effectively to raise their stock while others didn’t stand out as much as they would have wanted to (Belaid, Felhi , Lassad, and Saihi) but a month is a long time in a qualifying campaign (hell, even one week is) so nothing is set in stone.

One thing is for sure, there’s plenty of work to be done in South Africa or Botswana during our next training camp and the players will all be incredibly determined once that time comes.

If anyone is still upset we lost this match, I have a question for you: Would you rather lose to a team fighting to redeem themselves in a not so meaningful friendly or to one in an official competition that could cost you a place at the most prestigious tournament in the world? You’d take the first option wouldn’t you? Yup, me too.

Post Match Interviews here

Download Full Match

Tunisia vs. Kenya here.

Tunisia vs. Saudi Arabia here.

The Goal

Tags: Aymen Abdennour, Carthage Eagles, Group H, Hamdi Kasraoui, Haythem Mrabet, Humberto Coelho, Khaled Korbi, Lassad Nouioui, Nasser Chamrani, Sofian Chahed, Tunisia 0-1 Saudi Arabia, Tunisian Football, Zouheir Dhaouadi

Tunisia World Cup RSS Feed

del.icio.us:Tunisia 0-1 Saudi Arabia: Better Now Than Later

digg:Tunisia 0-1 Saudi Arabia: Better Now Than Later

newsvine:Tunisia 0-1 Saudi Arabia: Better Now Than Later

reddit:Tunisia 0-1 Saudi Arabia: Better Now Than Later

fark:Tunisia 0-1 Saudi Arabia: Better Now Than Later

Y!:Tunisia 0-1 Saudi Arabia: Better Now Than Later

stumbleupon:Tunisia 0-1 Saudi Arabia: Better Now Than Later

Comments | Add your comment

Displaying the most recent 25 comments from a total of 363 comments.

Read the rest of the comments

By Achraf | November 3rd, 2009 at 7:16 am

Coelho will reveal his list on thursday!!
http://www.ftf.org.tn/fr/articles.asp?artid=1781

Posted from United States

By Rami | November 3rd, 2009 at 8:06 am

Nice Achraf, I’ve been waiting for that announcement. Seems like my next article has been decided for me. Sorry I didn’t fill any in the interim. Simply have not had time but things are set to pick up again!

Bassem, you’re probably right. Both about FBK and the videos.

Posted from United States

By nigeria flights | November 3rd, 2009 at 9:07 am

I am also waiting for the announcement.

Posted from Pakistan

By Rami | November 3rd, 2009 at 9:33 am

Canal + maghreb is gonna follow Issam Jemaa’s performances and do some kind of special reports on him, Ziani, and Hadji. Wish Chikhaoui was healthy so they could follow him instead but we’ll see what comes of this. Hope Jemaa hits a hot streak in time for our Mozambique!

http://www.rclensois.fr/a5782-issam-jemaa-suivi-canal%2B-maghreb.html

google translated: http://translate.google.com/translate?js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rclensois.fr%2Fa5782-issam-jemaa-suivi-canal%252B-maghreb.html&sl=fr&tl=en&history_state0=

Nigeria flights, its coming. The Nigeria team has already been announced. I want to see who Mozambique are calling too.

Here’s Nigeria’s team. Most comments I’ve seen are questioning Mikel’s inclusion given that he’s not 100 percent. Apparently he passed fit or will be soon but we all know there’s a difference between passing fit and actually being in competitive game playing shape. Personally not that focused on any of this given that our mission is clear: Win our match against Mozambique and whatever our group rivals do won’t matter.

Goalkeepers – Vincent Enyeama, Dele Aiyenugba, Greg Etafia

Defenders – Joseph Yobo, Taye Taiwo, Obinna Nwaneri, Chidi Odiah, Onyekachi Apam, Danny SHittu, Dele Adeleye, Elderson Echieljile

Midfielders – Femi Ajilore, John Mikel Obi, Nwankwo Kanu, Yusuf Ayila, Seyi Olofinjana, Osaze Odemwingie, Sani Kaita

Forwards – Obafemi Martins, Joseph Akpala, Michael Eneramo, Yakubu Aiyegbeni, Obinna Nsofor

Posted from United States

By Adam Talbi | November 3rd, 2009 at 10:38 am

Rami, you’re abseloutly right we should win our match agaisnt Mozambique no matter what!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

By Achraf | November 3rd, 2009 at 11:21 am

Here is the European team of the week, it includes three tunisians (Hagui, Khallfallah, and Nouioui)
http://www.footafrica365.fr/africains-de-l-etranger/article_358853_championnats-europeens-L-equipe-type-des-Africains-d-Europe-n8.shtml

Posted from United States

By Rami | November 3rd, 2009 at 12:11 pm

Damn, apparently Dhaouadi is injured?

http://www.infosfoot.net/fr/articles/flash_cible1.php?nom=5044

CA : retour de Yahia, forfait de Dhaouadi
Samedi prochain, contre Al Ahly de Mateur en seizièmes de finale de la coupe de Tunisie, le Club Africain récupère Wissem Yahia, absent samedi dernier face au Stade Tunisien pour troisième avertissement, mais perd en revanche son fer de lance Zouheir Dhaouadi, blessé

That would kind of suck…

Posted from United States

By Nabil | November 3rd, 2009 at 1:53 pm

We fire so many managers because Tunisians always believe there is an immediate solution to any problems. Take action and said action will resolve every problem.

Alex Ferguson did not win a single trophy his first five seasons at Man Utd and the rest as they say is history. Tunisians are simply too reactionary, we have no patience and a lack of patience makes it impossible for any person with a long term vision for the club to succeed. In Tunisia it’s all about the here and now, very much a “what have you done for me lately?” culture.

Bottom lone nothing can guarantee success, problem is that is exactly what all clubs in Tunisia demand, frankly it’s quite an immature, self defeating and unrealistic mentality.

By Achraf | November 3rd, 2009 at 3:32 pm

Will Dhouadi miss the Mozambique match too?

Posted from United States

By Rami | November 3rd, 2009 at 4:00 pm

Not sure yet, we’ll either know more tomorrow or our answer will come on Thursday when the list is announced. I’m surprised because there’s nothing about it on Webvirage.

Nabil, I agree with what you’ve said.

Posted from United States

By Abdullah | November 3rd, 2009 at 5:14 pm

Darragi wants to play in Europe preferably Spain http://team-tunisie.net/article-Oussama-Darragi—Il-faut-gagner-a-Maputo-162.html

Posted from Netherlands

By Bassem | November 3rd, 2009 at 6:19 pm

I think with his mental state of mind a player like Darragi could play any where he prefers. The big question will be how his playermanager will sucseed with negotiations on terms with the club in question.

There will be a tremendes presure on him when he decides to play for a huge club, so maby its a better idea to started with a medium club where he could shine and from there make a jump to a larger club. I rather see him play more offent then waste his talent on a bench. Especialy around his age. Again its also great to make a giant leap towards a big club and train and gain experience but match experience at his age is very necesary.

We all had alot of convidance that Aymen would shine at Herta but we saw the hand of faith change everything, and same thing happend to Yassin. So all i can say may ALLAH SWT bless him with his decision and his future and we will see what will happen.

I think maby Italy would be a better place for him with his style of playing. But thats my opinion. But also Spain is rather simular to the Italian competition, we saw that in tonights game Milan against Madrid.

But any way any how he can sell he own skin by shining for us during the African Nations Cup and hopefully the World Cup. From there on will see what happens. There will be big monoculars on him during these tournaments that could decide his desteny.

I think Coelho will make no suprises this time with his selection and we will all see a list that we hoped for. I hope he will decides to play all or nothing till we have a comfertable lead and from there on to close the game in our favor. I have a double nervousaty on me, gonna get married on friday and on the other hand the nerfes on next weeks game . You can guess what it does to my bloodpressure. And also the final of Chermiti off course this weekend. Hope he will be the first Arabic player that plays for two clubs during a World Cup for Clubs final. Again InshALLAH he survives that match with out injuries and can join our Eagle squad to shine.

Posted from Netherlands

By thamer | November 4th, 2009 at 2:17 am

mabrouk bassem

Posted from United States

By Bassem | November 4th, 2009 at 4:24 am

I bark fik ya Thamer!

Posted from Netherlands

By skander | November 4th, 2009 at 10:52 am

Read this if u want.it’s about Nassim Ben Khalifa, i the u17 Switzerland. he scored the only goal against brazil, sending them out of the tournament

http://www.fifa.com/u17worldcup/news/newsid=1127815.html#switzerlands+tunisian+talisman

Posted from Sweden

By bassem | November 4th, 2009 at 3:17 pm

Skandar, i am watching the quarterfinal with my dad and bro at the moment and its overtime, but that guy is realy talented. Whats the rule about these players, is there a chance we can win this guy over or is this a total loss to Switserland?

By Achraf | November 4th, 2009 at 3:33 pm

Its his decision Bassem, Hope he will not go to the Ben Arfa way and play in Swiss. I think he could be our next Santos, We are in need of a true center forward who will finish plays. This could be our guy in the future.

By Rami | November 4th, 2009 at 4:11 pm

Achraf, I’m pretty sure he’s a number 10 and he plays as an offensive midfielder. You’re right in that it is his decision but I imagine he’ll stick with Switzerland. That’s not based on any facts, just a feeling, so I could be wrong. Time will tell. If he hasn’t gotten a call from the FTF yet you can bet his phone will be ringing after this tournament is over. I won’t be upset if he picks to stick with the Swiss. These are all personal decisions regarding their identity and what they feel comfortable with. If someone doesn’t want to play for us then frankly I don’t want them playing for us either.

Posted from United States

By bassem | November 4th, 2009 at 5:05 pm

You are both right guys, the FTF handles swiftly on these matters. We can’t blame them for anything with there methode. They will quickly try to make contact with his father or contact person try to pull him towards us. They will do this quit offent till he makes his final decision. He still young and anything could happen. We realy don’t know how a guy like this will develop in the future. It could go wrong but it also could go right.

I liked his style of playing and it made me cheer more for Switserland then for Germany. Its also nice to have a guy like this that can be decisive for the Swiss knowing he’s Tunisian. So i won’t blame him for his decision making in the future and hope the best for this youngster.

It wasn’t a pretty game to watch but very exciting one. I admire his courage taking on that penalty after the rush before. He played a good game and guess after reading the part that Skandar posted of the FIFA a good tournament so far. And still more to come.

Guys tomorrow d-day for us, the list is coming! Its almost game time! Very very nervous.

By bassem | November 4th, 2009 at 5:07 pm

Also this weekend to come and don’t forget it guys 7 November don’t know the exact time for the Dutch but i guess it will be around 11 AM, the final for Chermiti After that he can get the plane to Tunisia off course to join the team in Djerba.

By bassem | November 4th, 2009 at 5:16 pm

7 November 2009 19:00 (UTC+9)

Al-Ittihad v Pohang Steelers National Stadium, Tokyo
Referee: Matthew Breeze (Australia)

By bassem | November 4th, 2009 at 5:22 pm

If i am right but correct me if i am wrong you guys that should be 15:00pm in the Netherlands?

By thamer | November 5th, 2009 at 5:26 am

the list is out and haggui isnt on it, i think its a mistake though because theres only 22 players on the infosfoot list.

Posted from United States

By Rami | November 5th, 2009 at 6:48 am

Yeah, he’s on Mosaique’s list so no worries. He didn’t train wit his club yesterday though, he has some kind of injury but I don’t think its a serious one. I’m writing something up.

Posted from United States

By thamer | November 5th, 2009 at 7:31 am

nice. this might be the best list hes ever come out with. thank god chermiti is in it, i have a strong feeling hes gonna do some damage in maputo after being out of the team for so long.

Posted from United States