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Tunisia Steals a Point

January 24th, 2008 | By: Rami | 16 Comments »

So I finally got to watch the game tonight and I have to say that I’m very disappointed with our performance. Sure our goals were more aesthetically pleasing but on the whole, Senegal should have won this match easy. I wouldn’t say that I was surprised we played so cautiously because we’ve gotten used to this story but our three defensive midfielders didn’t support the attack in any way (excluding Majdi Traoui’s magnificent strike). I could ramble on about Roger Lemerre’s team selection and tactical decisions but I’m afraid that will send me down the path of madness so I’ll steal a page from his phrasebook and leave it at this: No comment.

I’m not so much bothered by the defensive mindset in principle. It’s good to be solid and I can appreciate a team that defends well but there needs to be balance! If you take a second and think about it, we really only saw 10 minutes of constructive football from our team and it all came at the end after we had miraculously leveled the score. Mentally the players were under a lot of stress and were prudent after the first goal that should have liberated them. Instead of pushing forward to increase the difference, we took an anti football appraoch. Riding your luck for long stretches almost always lands you in trouble and if you give a team (especially one like Senegal) enough possession they break you down. It doesn’t matter that it was off a terrible mistake from Radhi Jaidi but their goal came at a killer time and completely deflated the team.

The second half was more of the same with our boys finding difficulty in building any type of rhythm. Senegal missed chance after chance and then a sloppy clearance (if you can even call it that) gifted Senegal their goal. It wasn’t pretty but at least they forced the issue. The reason I’m not all that angry is that we managed to take something out of this match when all looked lost. I predict that we will see the real Yassine Chikhaoui against South Africa as I imagine we will go into that game with a much more offensive mindset. Apart from a nice dribbling sequence at the end, I barely recognized him. Also, someone should send Hamdi Kasraoui a memo that there’s no use sending long balls his way. Sure he’s tall and technically skilled but he’s not a center forward and is far from a hold up man.

Even though we didn’t see the true face of Tunisian football in this match, you have to give our boys credit for at least rescuing the oh so precious point. Angola and South Africa failed to capitalize on this result as their game finished in a draw as well. We still have all the chances to make it to the second round and our performance should improve significantly from here on. The first match is usually the hardest one and we can consider ourself lucky not to have emerged losers. Despite the unconvincing performance, I remain cautiously optimistic (as usual).

The Opposing Coach Says

“Tunisia had a lot of success with that 30m shot. We should have killed off the game, but the opening match is never easy. Both teams played well tactically. In the first half we were surprised by the Tunisians, and we were chasing the lead. Overall the result is fair, but we did create so many chances.”

Highlights

Tags: Group H

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Comments

By Mahmoud | January 24th, 2008 at 3:03 am

Good luck to Tunisia, now all chances are even in the group!!!!!!

Posted from United States

By tamim | January 24th, 2008 at 7:43 am

i expected more from tunisia but any way, best of luck in your next matches…………..that second goal for tunisia is a hell of a goal, zidan is having competitors:D

By Daily Dose 1.24.08 - World Cup Blog - African Cup of Nations 2008 | January 24th, 2008 at 8:30 am

[...] Carthage Eagles analysis (Tunisia Blog) [...]

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By Bman | January 24th, 2008 at 8:34 am

Watching that game gave me a slight Deja vu as i started remembering the Saudi Arabia Match in WC2006. I think all goals against Tunisia, could have been prevented and came as a result of goal mouth chaos.

For the most part any defence that doesnt get as much midfield supprt as it should will be breached. Alot of times after our defence got the ball, they would just smash it to the other side of the field hoping an attacker would pick it up. 2 thinks happened whent they did this. A: senegal go the ball back and hit at our defence again. or B a lone atacker got the ball with no midfielders to support.

I dont think that any portion of the team is bad, but i think that the midfield needs to be included more int he play and better results will come.

However, 2-2 in my opinion is Solid on paper. Senegal isnt really a pushover. The draw, will also put presure on Tunisia to play the kind of attacking football we all want to see.

Another thing to look forward to is soon Chermiti and Nafti can come back. And i know Nafti doesnt just smash the ball upfield, he knows how to keep possesion with short passing when he recovers the ball.

Hmmm Ben Frej didnt play, but i think he would have done well, because he loves to run up the wing and help the attack. , i didnt see much of anything coming from the right or left back in terms of attack.

I too am hopeful of progression into the next round and some good matches with SA and Angola.

Posted from United States

By Rami | January 24th, 2008 at 10:27 am

Thanks Tamim and Mahmoud for your support! Rest assured that we will play a lot more offensive in the next match as we no longer have a choice.

Bman, I agree with you. Chermiti really can’t come soon enough. We need his incisive runs into space and his ability to create danger at any moment. He’s so fast and so good at drawing fouls and this will be crucial against a battle tested Angola squad.

Posted from United States

By Skander | January 24th, 2008 at 2:16 pm

Yeah, it’s the offensive midfielders that we doesn’t have in this squad (Belaïd, Namouchi). We’ve got three defensive midfielders that stays in their position..

Posted from Sweden

By Rachid | January 24th, 2008 at 4:06 pm

Wishful thinking for as long as Lemerre is around! Unfortunately, there are people in TV and in press that are justifying our national team’s poor performance by stating that Senegal now has a much better team! That’s very sad! Lemerre has gone against the will of the people and, as expected, is falling flat on his face. We should call it what it is: this team is going to pack and go home quite soon. Let’s make sure to hold the bastards that led us to this accountable!!!

Posted from United States

By Magnusson | January 25th, 2008 at 3:27 pm

I wouldn’t say that he fell flat on his face since he managed to get a point against a team that should have and could have scored more. Tunisia and Senegal will normally go through and the real face of your team will be seen in the next round.

By Rachid | January 25th, 2008 at 7:08 pm

Lemerre did not manage to get a point; it was a very lucky shot! He was waching like a complete idiot. The players had no fire in them, did not see any real sense of urgency. Lemerre has managed to completely kill their spirits! Look at how the Cote d’ivoire players appear to be enjoying themselves while scoring lots of goals. They look quite happy; the Tunisians and their so-called coach appear overly stressed. Why?

By Bman | January 25th, 2008 at 8:16 pm

Hey guys if anyone is interested. Recently Tunisian legend Tarak Dhieb came on tunisian TV 7 and had a really nice interview. They show alot of video and behind the scenes foortage of the Classic Tunisian side of the 70’s and perhaps the first golden era of Tunsian football. The link is part I of 4 or 5 segments.

http://www.dailymotion.com/Footn/video/x44rst_tarak-dhieb1_sport

Posted from United States

By Rami | January 25th, 2008 at 8:21 pm

Thanks for that Bman, I watched that earlier this week and really enjoyed it. Forgot to make a mention to it though. He has a lot of interesting things to say. Not surprising given that he’s our legend.

Posted from United States

By Moni | January 25th, 2008 at 11:32 pm

Does any one have more information about this situations ?
——————————————————————–
News

Lemerre Has Another Run In With Journalists
January 25, 2008

An angry Tunisia coach Roger Lemerre confiscated the tri-pod of a Tunisian TV crew and took it away on his team bus in the latest run-in with journalists at the MTN Africa Cup of Nations.

On Wednesday he stormed out of a post match press conference, after he was angered by the Senegalese press.

On Friday he had negotiations with the television crew, and asked for them to hand him the video of him taking away their equipment and he will return to them their tripod.

The crew duly obliged but little does Lemerre know that they have already via satellite transmitted the copy back to Tunisia and the Tunisian public have already seen a coach who is supposed to be shaping his team for a crucial game fighting with journalists instead.

Back to News

Source: MTN football
http://www.mtnfootball.com

Posted from Netherlands

By Rami | January 26th, 2008 at 12:08 am

I think that’s the extent of what we know about this. It will probably make it onto Dimanche Sport or Hannibal Tv’s belmakshouf. I saw this and decided not to post about it as i honestly am sick of talking about this guy and his run ins with journalists (it’s a never ending story, plus i am actually sick at the moment and under the effects of sleep inducing cold medicine). Thanks for linking it though Moni, it just goes to show how ridiculous this is all getting with him. It’s past the point of no return. Hopefully our players can just go out there and do their job anyway. I recently asked my friend Massaer over at the Senegal blog (before he went to Ghana!) if Lemerre was always this stubborn and plain dumb and he said yes, and always uncommunicative too. So it’s not a special thing with Tunisian journalists though, he just plain doesn’t like giving interviews or justifying himself at all… even though it’s part of his job. Bizarre frankly. It could have been because they were filming when they weren’t allowed to (during the closed training session that precedes any match because the coach is putting together his final touches and spying would give away the tactical plan and who is starting). Even so, it’s pretty juvenile.

There’s this article as well where it seems Henry Kasperczeck seems to take his side after the Senegal post match incident.

http://www.mtnfootball.com/live/content.php?Item_ID=12756

Posted from United States

By Rachid | January 26th, 2008 at 8:59 am

Lemerre is a failure as a coach, a manager, or a PR person. We are fooling ourselves to think he’s “hiding his papers” for S. Africa as we say in Arabic. His choices now are quite limited and there is no magic bullet, at least not until Chermiti can play. I feel that kid can make a difference,as he has done with l’Etoile. Lemerre still insists on Santos playing! In his mind, the team’s capabilities are quite limited and has openly expressed that “we played to our capabilities.” I guess that’s all he could do in over 4 years as a head coach for our national team! I would like to be very positive about this situation we’re in and would certainly be excited if we beat S. Africa. However, with Lemerre, when you see the sun rising everyday, you have to start to believe it, as the saying goes. It has been a big mistake to keep this old man for so long and that mistake has been made worse by including the opportunistic Maaloul with him. The man has no balls!

By beja | February 9th, 2008 at 6:51 am

rachid santos is a killer he can make the differns ! i like chirmiti and his skill but he it to jung and needs more espirients chrimiti is the future from tunisia but now sontos ist like gold for us ! he has the killer instinkt !! and lemerre ist a very good trainer he makes the best he ist not david coperfield ! and maaloul is a bitch!

Posted from Germany

By jihedc | February 10th, 2008 at 6:21 am

Did Lemerre resign, or just a speculation from L’Equipe? According to l’Equipe he is in contact with Morocco? From Michel to Lemerre, same road as Tunisia. I will not miss him, but he did a good job overall, time to move on. Best of luck to him and to Morocco. May be a non-french pick is the way to go…

Posted from United States

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