Tunisia was the small favorite in their game with Australia, but neither played like that. Australia firmly gripped the game in the first half while all Tunisia could do was look on in terror.
Australia’s first big chance, on 23 minutes, was a reflection of the Australians’ tenacity.
Craig Goodwin sent a cross in from the wing and although it was deflected, striker Mitchell Duke headed it past the goalkeeper to start the scoring.
Jackson Irvine nearly doubled Australia’s lead, but his shot went wide.
After Australia finished pressing the goalkeeper for a bigger lead, they fell back and let the Tunisians try to break through the final third. There were key blocks from the baseline and several big saves from Matthew Ryan, but the reason
Tunisia could not match was due to its own waste.
Youssef Msakni had several shots that could have easily earned a point for Tunisia if they had hit the target or if he had placed them accurately. Al-Arabi’s attacker had six shots in total, of which only two hit their target. The match ended in favor of the Australians, who defended and relied on counter-attacks for much of the second half.
What happened to the Tunisian offensive?
Tunisia’s offensive failed against Australia. When Tunisia needed a goal the most, the attack was unable to equalize and get at least one point against the Socceroos.
Tunisia have yet to score at the World Cup, their goalscoring slump dating back to a 5-1 loss to Brazil. The last time Tunisia scored more than one goal in a match was against Japan in early June.
Some of this may fall due to bad luck. Tunisia totaled 13 shots against Denmark and had 14 shots against Australia. They have a way of weaving passes to deter defenders and create chances.
However, neither in their game against Denmark nor against Australia were their main attackers unable to finish off their chances. Leading striker Issam Jebali only fired one shot on goal in 153 total World Cup minutes.
Although his attacking partners Youssef Msakni and Naim Sliti shone in both games, the attack is flat and depressing.
Tactics need a reset ahead of France game
New manager Jalel Kadri has been linked with a move to the Tunisian FA.
He had an uneventful spell as U-20 head coach in 2008 and was Tunisia’s first assistant coach during Nabil Maaloul’s disastrous spell.
Kadri’s most recent season with Tunisia included a six-month stint as Tunisia’s assistant coach in 2021, where they were good, but not elite. Kadri took over during AFCON when the head coach came down with COVID. His tournament experience was mixed; he eliminated contenders Nigeria in the round of 16, but lost to Burkina Faso right after. Regardless, the FA promoted him to the elusive job of head coach and tasked him with leading Tunisia to the World Cup.
They cut it close with a 1-0 win over Mali in the third round home-and-away, but they were in Qatar anyway. Now, with Tunisia just 90 minutes away from a potential early departure, Kadri’s 14-year long road to becoming head coach already appears to be in jeopardy.
Some of Kadri’s tactics have backfired at the World Cup. Kadri traded in his usual 4-3-3 for a three-back formation. Tunisia only had one match to test Kadri’s new idea; an unofficial 2-0 win over Iran where they played a 3-5-2.
When Kadri came onto the field in a 3-4-3 against Denmark, his bold change looked like it would work. Tunisia were rigid defensively, somewhat threatening in attack, and they held a World Cup contender to a 0-0 draw.
However, hindsight is 20/20. When Tunisia took the field in a 3-4-2-1 in their second game, the Australians responded with a 4-2-3-1, looking for absolute dominance in the game. They got there early on Duke’s header and his grip on the game loosened but never relaxed.
Against France, who played a 4-2-3-1 in their most recent match, Tunisia may want to return to their traditional 4-3-3.
The players know him best from his previous head coach, he’s easy to fight back and you can put Jebali (or Khazri), Msakni and Sliti in the top three. Tunisia needs a win against Denmark, which means Kadri’s team needs aggression, possession and plenty of shots.
Possibilities and permutations for Tunisia
Tunisia are certainly in a difficult situation ahead of Wednesday’s game against France. Tunisia need an outright win against France and some favorable results from the Australia-Denmark game to potentially advance.
Photo Credit: IMAGO/Sipa USA
World Cup 2022 Guide
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