Thanks to the tireless work of everyone involved, Tunisia has continued to perform consistently in recent years despite repeated coaching changes.
Tunisia World Cup History
This has been proven not only by the fact that the Eagles of Carthage have long been the leading African team in the FIFA / Coca-Cola World Ranking – they are currently in second place behind Senegal – but also in the qualification for FIFA football -World Cup Russia 2018 ™ and reaching the semifinals of the CAF Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2019 in Egypt.
After reaching the last four of the continental tournament, the Tunisian Football Association (FTF) started a new project that focused on AFCON 2021 and especially on qualifying for the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup. The FTF appointed a Tunisian technical team headed by head coach Mondher Kebaier, who she believed was well equipped to take Tunisia to new heights.
“We started working on September 1, 2019 after participating in AFCON,” Kebaier told FIFA.com. “It has been a difficult time as we have been working to promote our players, especially their physical fitness.”
When asked to explain the process further, the coach said: “We started high-level friendly matches against countries like Mauritania, Côte d’Ivoire, and Cameroon. It prepared us well for the African Nations Cup and AFCON qualification.
We have played seven games so far and I can see positive energy in our performance. Our first official game was against our neighbors Libya. The games between neighbors are usually tough, but we got a great result with four goals we won another difficult game away game against Equatorial Guinea. “
Tunisia’s results under Kebaier
6 September 2019: Tunisia 1-0 Mauritania
10 September 2019: Côte d’Ivoire 1-0 Tunisia
21 September 2019: Tunisia 1-0 Libya
12 October 2019: Tunisia 0-0 Cameroon
20 October 2019: Libya 0-1 Tunisia
15 November 2019: Tunisia 4-1 Libya
19 November 2019: Equatorial Guinea 0-1 Tunisia
Young and Experienced Players
Tunisia has many excellent players competing locally or in Europe, including Mohamed Drager, Marc Lamti, Firas Chaouat, Bassem Srarfi, Hamza Rafia, Wajdi Kechrida, Montassar Talbi, Mohamed Ali Ben Romdhane, Mortadha Ben Ouanes and Saad Bguir. This gives the country a mix of ambitious young players and seasoned professionals.
“We have to build on what we have already achieved and not start again,” said the coach. “We have to take advantage of the positive work of previous coaches, each of whom has certainly made their own decisions. Some players have recently returned to the national team, such as Aymen Abdennour, who was absent for a long time.
Ali Maaloul and Saif-Eddine Khaoui, who are not who have played in recent AFCON games have also returned to the squad and both have good qualities, as the last game against Libya and even against Equatorial Guinea showed. “
“Some of the young players have caught the attention of Tunisian league and overseas clubs, such as Juventus players Rafia and Saad Bguir. They played with the national team and produced what was expected of them,” he added .
For Kebaier, however, individual names are not the key. “Our strength lies in our team spirit. This was shown in our last game in the AFCON qualification. Despite a hand injury, Wahbi Khazri continued to play and was the one who eventually scored. The same goes for Youssef Msakni, who played despite being sick and medical Received treatment. It is this spirit that will make a difference in the upcoming games. “
Kebaier’s Dream
In the Qatar draw in 2022, Tunisia was included in Group B alongside Mauritania, Equatorial Guinea and Zambia. When asked about their group opponents, Kebaier said: “The teams in each group are more or less on the same level. There are no major differences. The AFCON qualification differs from the World Cup qualification because it involves a lot of excitement and enthusiasm brings. ” The mission is more difficult. We have to be ready for every game. “
Kebaier said his team knew a lot about their opponents. “We know Mauritania very well because we have played against it more than once. We also know Equatorial Guinea against whom we compete in the AFCON qualification. And we know everything about Zambia’s capabilities. We need to show solidarity and strong will Play qualification. “
Tunisia participated in the World Championships in 1998, 2002 and 2006, but missed the global showcase project in 2010 and 2014. They have returned to the world stage for Russia 2018 and are now looking forward to gracing Qatar in 2022.
“Of course we want to qualify for Qatar 2022,” confirmed the coach. “Tunisia is used to being represented at major events on a continental and global level, so we have to be present at the next World Cup.”
Before graduation, the Tunisian coach referred to his dream of making it to the second phase of the tournament for the first time in the country’s history, a goal that previous generations had not achieved.
“Sooner or later, Tunisia will reach the second round of the World Cup final. We hope that this generation can achieve this. We are optimistic about every competition to win games and to make as much progress as possible qualify, we have to fight on the pitch and play with great passion to achieve this goal. “
