Out of Collective Arguments, Sfaxiens Found Refuge in Set Pieces. For How Long?
The Press — Two goals to zero at the final whistle of referee Naïm Hosni for CSS, to the great dismay of ASS. This result does not reflect the physiognomy of a match where Sami Gafsi's men shone with a well-knit collective. However, they came up against an Aymen Dahmen who blocked their path to the goal on several occasions, and an Ali Mâaloul who disappointed them with two perfect set pieces. On two successful actions, Mohamed Kouki's protégés made their difficulties forgotten, taking the game by the horns and imposing a clear superiority over their opponents of the day.
No Mitigating Circumstances
As after each unconvincing performance despite the victory, coach Mohamed Kouki sought excuses. "Today, I had to face three significant absences, which are not minor," he declared, alluding to the duo Kévin Mondeko-Hichem Baccar in the central defense and Emmanuel Ogbole in the attack. This explanation was not convincing, as the pair Youssef Habchia-Mohamed Amine Ben Ali managed to cope with the fierce assaults of the trio Manoubi Haddad, Kebba Sowe, and Jack Diarra. "It's in our midfield that there were many gaps, with Mutyaba, who arrived 48 hours before the match and was not fresh. Mutyaba made many frantic runs and transmitted the best balls to the players on the wings." Mohamed Kouki admitted being short of options on the wings, aligning Iyed Belwafi, who had only three training sessions in his legs due to a recent injury.
A Lack of Intensity and Creativity
All these "handicaps" mentioned were, in fact, just excuses and could not constitute mitigating circumstances to justify the lack of intensity, speed, imagination, and creativity in the Sfaxiens' game. What would have happened to CSS if Aymen Dahmen and Ali Mâaloul had not saved the team from a shipwreck against an opponent who had handled the debate with brilliance? Mohamed Kouki found the words to thank Dahmen "for being up to his status as the last bastion always present in the weak moments of his teammates" and to praise Ali Mâaloul "for being the author of the two perfect centers that brought the two goals of deliverance, proving that millimeter-precise balls are always in his DNA." However, Mohamed Kouki should not continue to wait with his arms crossed for the individual exploits of his key players to talk about "points, good to take."
