Poor Preparation: The Main Reason for Tunisia's Defeat
The Tunisian national team's defeat against Syria can be attributed to poor preparation. The day before the match, only 12 players participated fully in the last training session.
Lack of Serious Preparation
According to La Presse, the Syrian team was better prepared for the match and took it more seriously. On the field, they were opportunistic and realistic. In contrast, the Tunisian team's preparation was inadequate. The Syrian team had been based in Qatar for a few days, where they played a qualifying match against South Sudan, winning 2-0, just a week before their first match against Tunisia.
Inadequate Training Session
The last day of the first phase of the championship was played on the weekend of November 22-23, giving the national technical staff a week to prepare for their first match against Syria. However, Sami Trabelsi chose a list of 23 players, and only 12 were able to train normally during the Sunday session. The players from Espérance did not have a rest day on Sunday, as they went directly to the training field from the airport, having played a Champions League match against Petro Atlético the day before and having to make two trips with a layover in Kenya to reach Qatar.
Insufficient Time for Players to Recover
Even if the Sunday session was more of a warm-up than a real training session for the Espérance players, Yassine Meriah played a full match, and Chiheb Jebali was incorporated into the game in the 78th minute. This lack of preparation and insufficient time for players to recover from their previous matches was evident in the team's performance against Syria.
Late Arrival of Players
Only six players traveled with the official delegation on Wednesday, and a seventh player, Nacim Dendani, joined them directly in Doha. Ferjani Sassi was already on location, and Naïm Sliti was also present but was declared unfit due to injury on Saturday evening and was replaced by Seifeddine Jaziri. Three players, Mohamed Ali Ben Romdhane, Oussama Haddadi, and Amor Layouni, arrived in the Qatari capital on Saturday, while Moataz Naffati arrived on Sunday.
Consequences of Poor Preparation
Under these conditions, the national team was unable to prepare properly for the match. The team's dominance in the first half was sterile, and they were unable to capitalize on their opportunities. In contrast, Omar Maher Khribina scored a perfect direct free kick, giving Syria the lead. Sami Trabelsi's decision to play without proper preparation and with a reduced squad ultimately backfired, and the team's participation in the Arab Cup may turn into a fiasco if they do not rectify their mistakes.
