Relegation Battle Heats Up in Tunisian Football
With the victories of CAB and JSO yesterday, as well as those of JSK, OB, and ASG, the fight for relegation is back on. At the top of the standings, the draw between CSS and CA doesn't benefit either team.
A New Twist in the Relegation Battle
Those who said a few weeks ago that ASG and OB couldn't avoid relegation, and that ESZ, ESM, and USBG were safe from relegation, should keep quiet. With only 20 days of play, everything is back on track at the bottom of the standings. Yesterday's and the day before's results confirm this. But who will be relegated? Everything is up for grabs, and almost 8 teams, or even 10, are concerned about relegation. OB won on Saturday, just like JSK and ASG, and are moving up in terms of points. Yesterday, JSOmrane continued its streak with a second consecutive victory. After CSS, it's ESM's turn to struggle. Belhadj and Mganem gave JSO three precious points, while ESM is still struggling. The miners are concerned about relegation after their poor return. CAB also won at the end thanks to a salvaging goal from Diop. The ranks are tight at the bottom of the standings, and everything is still possible.
CSS-CA: Who Benefits from the Draw?
CA brought back an unexpected point from Sfax thanks to the goal of their new striker Kadida (87') in response to Baccar's penalty goal in the first half (double error by Shili on this action). A point that doesn't help anyone, but serves the interests of EST, which, in the event of two catch-up victories, would leave CA 4 points behind. The CSS-CA match was morbid, boring, and nervous because the level of the players on both teams was so low. Kouki alternated between 3-5-2 and 4-3-3 and used pressing, as he knew that the club's midfield was the weak link. Benzarti made a poor choice with his starting eleven, insisting on Ait Malek as the regulator and Harzi on the wing.
With the also low level of Zaâlouni, Shili, Zemzmi, and Khadhraoui, CA couldn't expect much against a CSS that wasn't flamboyant either. CA will surely regret its two easy missed opportunities in the first half, from Khadhraoui (right post) and especially Zaalouni, alone in front of the goal (what clumsiness!). A second half where CSS dominated the second ball, but its attackers were slow and ineffective yesterday. There isn't a team that deserves to win, as there wasn't a coherent game. CSS managed to protect its zone, but was caught off guard on the action of Kadida's fatal goal. CA had rhythm, but its actions were disordered, its players didn't have the calm and the know-how to kill the game.
This CA still lacks those small details that make a difference, despite the team's personality returning in a difficult match. Benzarti, obstinate, continues to hold on to players who are not very convincing at all. The bench offers better quality. For CSS, Trabelsi (seriously injured in the shoulder and out) and Moutyaba were having a bad day, and CSS suffered from it, but that doesn't mean Kouki isn't doing a good job.
