Stade Tunisien's Winless Streak Continues
The Stade Tunisien has now played its fourth consecutive match without a win, a cycle that began after their exit from the C3 preliminary round against OC Safi. While there's no need to sound the alarm just yet, there are certainly things to review.
Recent Performance
Last Sunday, in Ben Guerdane, USBG put an end to the Stade Tunisien's invincibility in L1, with only one day left to play before the end of the first phase of the championship. Currently sitting on the podium in third place, the Stade is one point behind CA and four points behind leader Espérance. This suggests that the Bardolais are running out of steam, but it's worth noting that each of the leaders has had their share of successes, strong periods, and dry spells.
Objectives and Expectations
If we approach things with lucidity, it seems that the Stade Tunisien has so far met its objectives in L1, namely staying on the podium and not letting other competitors widen the gap. Today, four points separate the Stade from the leader, which is still catchable, but Chokri Khatoui will have to make some adjustments to the team's game, starting with allowing attackers and midfielders to express themselves better.
Rotation and Affinities
It's worth noting that while the staff has almost used all the potential available, across all three lines of play, this has likely not favored the team's gameplay, its base in the middle, and its affinities in attack. In football, rotation is often necessary to allow certain players to recover and others to benefit from playing time, but when the competition reaches advanced stages, turnover is rarely prioritized.
Too Much Rotation, Not Enough Affinities
At the Stade, line by line, while competition is often a source of healthy group emulation, frequent rotation does not favor automatism between players. Starting with the defense, where, apart from the immutable Noureddine Farhati on the right flank, Hedi Khalfa has often alternated with Iyadh Riahi, or the versatile Wael Ouerghemi, while on the opposite side, Aziz Saihi has not always played a full match.
Midfield and Attack
In the midfield and attack, it's a crowded field, with many players vying for positions. The technical staff has often, if not always, changed the occupants of the pivot and offensive midfield positions. Thus, in turn, Yussuf Touré, Mahamat Thiam, and Rayan Smâali, as recoverers, have rarely chained matches, while in the offensive midfield, this also applies to Amath Ndaw, Alysson Adriano, and Boubakar Camara. Finally, in attack, the staff has not yet found the right combination, the one that sparks, despite the presence of right winger Youssef Saafi, left wingers Amine Khemissi, Abderahmen Hanchi, Firas Aifia, and Moncef Gharbi, alongside strikers Amine Haboubi, Amadou Ndiaye, and Godswill Emmanuel.
Conclusion
There's still work to be done for Chokri Khatoui, who must strive for more consistency in his starting lineup in order to regain the team's former cachet, which convinced so many during the first third of this first phase.
