pervertwithapurpose Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 Hello all, longtime lurker. This is inspired by git2thachopper's excellent fm7 story. I'm using fm18. We join the story in late February, 2019. I started unemployed, and was hired by WAFA SC in Ghana. First year we finished 10th, second year we were in 5th place when I applied for and was hired by Stade Tunisien at the beginning of their season. Stade Tunisien is the 6th most reputable club in Tunisia. They finished 4th last year, which qualifies us for the African Confederation Cup. The media has us pegged for a 9th place finish this year, and the board is expecting a top half finish. The roster that I inherit has obviously already had some attrition, and making matters worse, my top two players are out of contract and unwilling to resign. Not sure what happened here, but it feels like bad juju. Also: no experienced goaltenders, strikers all out of their prime, and an abundance of left wingers and central mids. I do my best to tidy up the roster, buying two players (a generic DL, and one of my WAFA SC's forwards), collecting a few free transfers, and press on with a cynical 4-1-4-1 tactic intended to grind out draws. The standings so far: Club African (13-3-2, 42) Es Sahel (13-1-4, 40) Stade Tunisien (9-5-4, 32) Cs Hammam-Lif (8-6-4, 30) CA Bizerte (9-3-6, 30) AS Gabes (8-6-4, 30) US Monastir (8-4-6, 28) ES Tunis (7-6-5, 27) CS Slax (7-4-7, 25) CO Medenine (4-6-8, 18) Stade Gabesien (5-3-10, 18) JS Kairouan (3-5-10, 14) ES ammam-Sousse (1-5-12, 8) ES Metlaoui (2-1-15, 7) It's a pretty tight race between 3-9. I'm optimistic about staying in the top half. We're fourth in goal differential, and hanging on to 4th place will qualify us for continental competition. There's also the Tunisian Cup, where a very friendly draw has seen us cruise into the semifinals without facing a top division squad. Winning the Cup is another way to qualify for the continent. Our semifinal match is away at ES Sahel, so ... not too optimistic about that. How is the continental campaign going? Well, The African Confederation Cup starts in January. We were entered in the pleminary round against Botswana Defense Force XI. We won the opening leg at home 2-0, and the away match ended 1-2, so we advanced on aggregate. We are drawn against a very tough Ethiopian side, Saint George for the next round. I don't see us getting past them. Our starting XI: GK: Mounir Rekik, 17 (Tunisian) First choice keeper is a youth academy graduate who just turned professional. He's been a little inconsistent, but has been excellent at times. My coaching staff thinks he has a lot of potential. DL: Maher Jaballah, 28 (Tunisian) Bought from JS Kairouan for $10K at the beginning of the year. I was mocked on social media for this, but in my defense, who else was available? I didn't have anybody on hand who was even passable. He's been just ok, and has had a couple of stinkers. More competent defensively than offensively. One bonus: He's good on penalty kicks. DR: Haythem Bejaoui, 18 (Tunisian) Loaned from Club Afrique. He's described a potential star. He's played well, not spectacularly. More competent defensively than offensively. DC: Celestine Lazarus, 26 (Nigerian) Found him available for free. Veteran of several minor European leagues, he's my most reliable center back. In certain situations I move him up to DM, where he's also competent. Signing of the year, if you ask me. DC: Amir Dridi, 29 (Tunisian) Also signed on a free. Was a back up for Stade Gabesien last year. He's been just as solid as Lazarus. DM: Issam Dhkilalli, 26 (Tunisian) Holdover from the previous administration, and one of my best players. He's a team leader, and an all around positive on the pitch. MC: Mohamed Doumouya, 23 (Ivorian) Another holdover. Probably my best player. Has been POM 4 times so far, tied for the team lead. MC: Khemais Maaouani, 24 (Tunisian) Another holdover. A little guy (5'6"), I've been using him as a box to box, and he's been effective. He's highly mobile, with good first touch and technique. ML: Constant Momble, 29 (Ivorian) Also has Tunisian nationality, so doesn't count as foreign (I'm limited to 3). Another holdover. Prototypical winger, has been POM team high 4 times (tied with Doumouya). Has been a consistent offensive threat, scoring 5 goals and assisting on 8 others. MR: Khalil Gasmi, 29 (Tunisian) Signed on a free. He's a natural AMC, and is a bit of an odd fit on the wing. He's played well, so far, though. FC: Mohammed Aminu, 18 (Ghanaian) Bought from WAFA SC for $140k. He's been a bit of a disappointment so far, staying healthy for only 13 games. He's been in consistent at best, scoring 6 and assisting on 2. Come to think of it, he spent a lot of time on the sideline at WAFA as well... and he might be better suited to a 2 striker setup. I'm feeling like this purchase might be a bust. There's not much on the bench. There's Haythem Sassi, a 26 year old DC who is not much of a drop off from the starting pair. (In fact, I sometimes use the 3 of them to close out games, using a 3-6-1 "shut-up-shop" formation). There's another promising young midfielder, Ilyes Atchen, who wasn't getting playing time, so I loaned him out to the next league down. We can't really sustain any injuries. AROUND THE WORLD Belgium won the World Cup 2018. Spain was runner up. Romelu Lukaku was World Cup Best Player. England beat Uruguay for third place. Serbia was eliminated in the quarters. Poland, Morocco, and Egypt also all made the second round. Portugal and Germany didn't make it out of group. Juventus beat AS Monaco in Kiev for the 2017-2018 UEFA Champions Cup, Arsenal beat Sporting for the Euro. Biggest transfer fee was Paris SG to AS Monaco for Kylian Mbappe (180 million euros). Second biggest was from Paris SG to AS Monaco for Fabinho (121 million Euros). Champions of the big European leagues: Real Madrid, Tottenham, Juventus, Bayern, Paris SG, CSKA Moscow, Celtic (Hibernian runner up). 2017 Player of the year: Arthur, Chelsea. 2018 Player of the year: Eden Hazard, Chelsea 2017 World Golden Ball: Sebastian Driussi, Zenit 2018 World Golden Ball: Robert Lewandowski, Bayern Bucket List Manage in every continent. Win league and cup in the top division of a country. Manage in Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland, or Wales. But not England, because **** England. (Kidding, but remember: I'm a yank.) Manage as many of these clubs as possible: Morton, Stade Riems, Vasas, Cruz Azul. Beat the Russian national team, ideally with a former Soviet Bloc team. Beat the English national team, ideally with Scotland or Ireland. Manage in the World Cup. Manage in the group stages of each continent's Champion's league I may add to this as I go on. WIll update again at the end of the season. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pervertwithapurpose Posted January 31, 2019 Author Share Posted January 31, 2019 March brings us our annual youth intake, which this year has 2 bona fide prospects: Maher Hammami, 15, GK He honestly might already be our best keeper! Mounir Rekik better step up his game, or he'll find himself on the bench, or more likely sold. Nabil Dhaou, 16, MC Above average physical ability, but very advanced technical skills. He could push for playing time next year. Should be an effective playmaker. My tactic: dlf/s w/s - ap/a - b2b/s - wm/a a/d fb/s - dc/d - dc/d - wb/s Standard/Highly structured, Retain Possession, Get Stuck In, Work Ball in Box This has been very effective defensively, but has occasionally been offensively stale. I sometimes switch from Standard to Counter in tough matches. When behind I push the wide midfielders up to AML/AMR positions and go with control. My closing formation is a 3-6-1 with wingbacks, 2 dms, and a defensive forward on defend duty. It's highly effective. Matches: Sunday, 10 March, League 1, vs. ES Sahel (1st place) A tough match ends in a 1-1 draw, which was about the best I hoped for. Aminu was out with injury again. Our one goal comes off a corner kick. Wednesday, 13 March, League 1, @ ES Metlaoui (14th place) An easy 2-0 victory. Without Aminu we don't have much offensive threat, but we got a goal off a corner early, then turtled it up. Late in the second half we drew a penalty on a counter to double the lead. Saturday, 16 March, African Confederation Cup, 1st Round, 1st Leg, vs. Saint George (Ethiopia) Saint George on paper looks to be a tough opponent, but they don't do much here. We control most of the match, but only get one goal on a penalty. 1-0 lead going into the second leg, which will be on the road. In the League, Hamman-Lif lost, putting us in third place, 2 points ahead of Hamman-Lif, 3 points ahead of 5th place CA Bizerte, but just 8 points ahead of 9th place CS Sfax. 6 matches left in the league. Saturday, 23 March, African Confederation Cup, 1st Round, 2nd Leg, @ Saint George (Ethiopia) Aminu is back on the pitch for this one. Just having him out there seems to make us more dangerous, even when he's not playing well himself. I'm cautiously optimistic going into this match, and the oddsmakers have us slightly favored. And, well, they shred us: 3-0, all 3 goals in the first half. I'm not sure what went wrong, watching the match, it looked like just one of those games where your guys all poop their pants. So we're done with this competition, but still with two chances to get back in it for next year, hopefully with a better squad. Saturday, 7 April, League 1, vs. AS Gabes (6th place) We outshoot them 15 to 4, but can't get anything to go in. We even miss a penalty kick, and it ends in a 0-0 draw. 5 matches left and the standings are: Club Africain (17-3-2, 54) ES Sahel (15-2-4, 47) Stade Tunisien (10-7-4, 37) CS Hammam-Lif (10-7-4, 37) CA Bizerte (11-3-7, 36) ES Tunis (9-7-5, 34) AS Gabes (8-8-5, 32) CS Sfax (8-5-9, 29) US Monastir (8-5-5, 29) Top 4 qualify for continental competition, unless somebody outside the top 4 wins the Cup. The Cup semifinalists: Es Tunis vs. US Monastir, and ES Sahel vs. Stade Tunisien. Sunday, 14 April, League 1, @ JS Kairouan (12th place) Aminu finally gets back in the scoring column with a goal in minute 2, and again in minute 47. When he shows up he's brilliant. Incidentally, our style of play would drive most fans crazy. It's boring. We punt the ball around in a game of keepaway when we have it, and turtle it up when we don't. It is *not* pretty football, but it is mostly effective. Final score: 2-0. 4 matches left. CS Hamman-Lif was beat today, so we're now 3 points up over them. Bizerte is 4 points behind us with a game in hand. Saturday, 11 May, Tunisia Cup, @ ES Sahel The biggest game of the year so far. Es Sahel was 5th last year, but is clearly in 2nd place this year. They are a tough, tough opponent, and I am not optimistic about this one. Also, Aminu is out with an ankle injury suffered in training. The game is terrible; Sahel is in our third constantly, passing the ball around our penalty area. Our team manages to consistently keep bodies between the ball and the net, though, and they manage only 4 shots on target through 90 minutes. It goes to extra time 0-0, and in minute 114 Billel Jerrahi, a veteran striker I picked up for cover in the winter transfer, scores a junky goal after a free kick. I instantly send us into my 3-6-1, and that's it. We're in the final! Rivals ES Tunis will be the opponent. Player of the match was DR Bejaoui. Also, WAFA SC fired my replacement. Wednesday, 15 May, League 1, vs. CS Bizerte An important home match. A review of the standings: Club Africain (24 games played, 19-3-2, 60) *clinched title* ES Sahel (24 games played, 17-2-5, 53) CS Hamman-Lif (24 games played, 11-8-5, 41) ES Tunis (23 games played, 11-7-5, 40) Stade Tunisien (22 games played, 11-7-4, 40) CA Bizerte (23 games played, 12-3-8, 39) AS Gabes (24 games played, 9-8-7, 35) US Monastir (24 games played, 9-6-9, 33) So we're one point up on Bizerte, and tied with Tunis, although with a game in hand on each. We're also 1 point behind Hamman-Lif with *2* games in hand. 3rd place is within sight, but we probably need to win this game. There's also still away matches against ES Tunis and CS Hamman-Lif, so a tough schedule down the stretch. Bilel Jerrahi converts a penalty in minute 75 after MR Gasmi gets taken down in the box. 1-0, and a huge win for our hopes of returning to the Africa Confederations Cup. Sunday, 15 May, League 1, vs. US Monastir Our final home game of the year, and what should, per the bookies, be a win. When we played them away, they beat us pretty handily, however. And today, they battle us to a 1-1 draw. For whatever reason, this crappy team gives my team fits. A bad result. 2 matches left, both on the road, both critical. Wednesday, 22 May, League 1, @ ES Tunis We'll be facing them in the Cup final 10 days after this, but this is an important struggle for points as the League winds down. Club Africain (25 games played, 20-3-2, 63 points) ES Sahel (26 games played, 18-2-5, 56 points) Stade Tunisien (24 games played, 12-8-4, 44 points) CS Hamman-Lif (25 games played, 12-8-5, 44 points) ES Tunis (24 games played, 12-7-5, 43 points) CA Bizerts (24 games played, 12-3-9, 39 points) Our last match, at home, ended in a 1-1 draw. This time, not so nice: They play like the best team in Tunisia (which they are), and shred us, taking a 2-0 lead in the first half. It could have been worse except they picked up a red card early in the second half. Doesn't help us. Final score 2-0, a bad result for us. Saturday, 25 May, League 1, @ CS Hamman-Lif The good news is Hamman-Lif also lost, so going into the final match we're even on points. Head to head is the first tiebreaker, and we won at home, so all we need is a draw to clinch 4th place. Bad news: DR Bejaoui is on international duty, and playmaker Maaouani is suspended for too many yellow cards. Since it's such an important match, I take a couple of chances, moving DC Lazarus, my most technically skilled DC, to DR, and Momble, who has been so good at ML, to MC. Desperate times. ML and DC are the two positions where I do have some cover. We grind them down to a 0-0 draw, So the final table then is: Club Africain (20-3-3, 63 points) (African Champions League) ES Sahel (18-3-5, 57 points) (African Champions League) ES Tunis (14-7-5, 49 points) (African Confederation Cup) Stade Tunisien (12-9-5, 45 points) (African Confederation Cup) CS Hamman-Lif (12-9-5, 45 points) Ca Bizerte (14-3-9, 45 points) AS Gabes (9-9-8, 36 points) US Monastit (9-8-9, 35 points) CS Sfax (9-5-12, 32 points) JS Kairouan (7-6-13, 27 points) CO Medenine (6-6-14, 24 points) Stade Gabesien (6-6-14, 24 points) (relegation playout) ES Metlaoui (3-3-20, 12 points) (relegated) ES Hammam-Sousse (2-5-19, 11 points) (relegated) The standings make the Cup final irrelevant for continental qualifying purposes. We will be back in the African Confederation Cup next year, and hopefully do better. Saturday, 1 June, Tunisian Cup Final, vs. ES Tunis We're again without DR Bejaoui, who's off with the Tunisian U23s. He started off the year pretty timidly, but really became an important part of the defense down the stretch. Also, Momble is now suspended for yellow cards. On the other hand, FC Amidu is back from injury (although not %100 - he wouldn't play if it weren't such a big match). So maybe there's hope. ES Tunis has won the Cup 15 times, the most of any club. Stade Tunisien has won it 6 times, but only once since 1966, when they beat Club Africain in 2003. These 2 clubs have never met in the final. Lazarus will play at DR again, I was quite pleased with his performance against Hamman-Lif. We show up much better than our last match against them, and after 90 minutes it's 0-0, and the stats and eyeball test it looks like an even match. We get a little lucky; their top two strikers go down with injury in the first half (I'm sure my "get stuck in" instruction had nothing to do with that). In extra time, ES Tunis draws a red card, but we can't take advantage and it goes to penalties. Our hearts are ripped out as we go down on penalties 4-2. ES Tunis has their 16th Cup. I officially hate ES Tunis. Stade Gabesien won the playout, and gets to stay up next season. News from Europe Paris SG won the Champions Cup, Bayern runner up. Spain: Barcelona (won Spanish Cup), A. Madrid, R. Madrid (runner up Spanish Cup) England: Man City, (won FA Cup) Chelsea (runner up FA Cup), Liverpool Italy: Napoli (breaking Juventus 7 year winning streak, also beat Inter for Italian Cup), Juventus, Roma Germany: Bayern (won German Cup), Dortmund (runner up German Cup), Leverkusen France: Paris SG (runner up French Cup), AS Monaco (won French Cup), Olympique de Marseille Russia: Krasnodar, Lokomotiv, Spartak (CSKA beat Zenit for the Russian Cup) Guardiola resigns at Man City, and Valverde resigns at Barca. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pervertwithapurpose Posted January 31, 2019 Author Share Posted January 31, 2019 Squad Review Heading into the 2019 offseason, let's review the squad. The undisputed strength of the team was central midfield, followed by wide midfield. Our defense was about average, but our forwards were pretty bad. Goalkeeper 17 year old Mounir Rekik was first choice for most of the season, although he did have two injury stints. He is considered a bright prospect by the staff (4 stars), and he played very well at times. He was backed up by two veterans who both complained about being backups. Since their contracts are up, they'll be let go. There's also 16 year old Maher Hammami, another 4 star prospect. I'd like to add a veteran keeper who's happy to be a backup, but if I can't find one, I'm pretty happy with these two. Fullback 19 year old Haythem Bejaoui was our DR last season, and by the end of the year had become a solid player. He's on loan from Club Africain, and I'd be happy to keep him another year, or buy him outright. If they want him back I'll need to find a replacement. The main backup on the right side is 22 year old Taha Maghzaoui, a converted winger, who I actually loaned out for the second half of the season. If I can't find somebody better than him, then that's a big problem. On the left side, 29 year old Maher Jaballah was a solid, intelligent defensive presence. I even used him as a winger a couple of times. He'll be back, but I need to find a bakp, and hopefully an upgrade. His main backup was a left footed central defender, 27 year old Youssef Irathni. Centerback 26 year old Nigerian Celestine Lazarus was the rock of the defense, and filled in at DR and DMC as well. He was paired with 26 year old Heithem Sassi or 29 year old Amir Dridi, both of whom were inconsistent. All 3 of them will be back, and I'd love to add one more starter quality. Defensive Midfield 27 year old Issam Dhkilalli is overqualified to be an anchorman, but he did a great job. With my crowded midfield, he's a candidate to be moved to DC or DR. 17 year old Ilyes Atchan is a 4 star prospect who I'd like to get on the pitch next year. He looks like he'll be good. Central Midfield 24 year old Khemais Maaouani was the playmaker, and he was quite good, if a little inconsistent. He's the fastest player we've got, but sometimes failed to find ways to make that speed dangerous. 23 year old Ivorian box to box Mohamed Doumouya was the fan's player of the year, and I think he deserved it. He topped the squad with 7 POMs. 18 year old (and 4 star prospect) Hatem Rachid was the main backup at MC. He'll be joined next year by 16 year old Nabil Dhaou. Wide Midfield On the right side, we primarily used converted AMC 29 year old Khalil Gasmi. He had his moments, but I'd like to find an upgrade. He was backed up by 28 year old Hatem Slama. Both are under contract for next year, but neither is being counted on to be a key contributor. On the left side, we're much stronger: 29 year old Constant Momble was a prototypical wing, speedy, good with the ball, and good at delivering it to teammates in dangerous positions. He was also versatile, as I used him occasionally in central midfield, at DL, and even at FC. He was backed up by 29 year old Ahmed Hosny, who played great whenever he was on the pitch. I probably should have tried harder to figure out a way to get both of them on the pitch at the same time. Forward 18 year old Ghanaian Mohammed Aminu was intermittently great, but also wildly inconsistent, and injury prone. I regret buying him, but I'm not ready to move on yet. Instead I'll hope to find at least one quality backup. Because 26 year old Bilel Jerrahi did not show much in his 8 starts. There is one vaguely interesting youngster on hand, 18 year old Riadh Jelassi. He's fast and strong, but my staff doesn't like him, and he showed nothing at all in 5 appearances last year. Financially, we did make a profit for the year, and in fact had a tax bill. Finances are considered Okay. We've been given a payroll budget of E 590,000, and a transfer budget of E 55,000. Our committed payroll for next season is E 504,000. The board is pleased with me. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pervertwithapurpose Posted January 31, 2019 Author Share Posted January 31, 2019 July 1, 2019 Preseason begins. Let's look at the depth chart: Goalkeeper Mounir Rekik, 17 years old will be the first choice. Ali Ayari, 29, was bought from AS Gabes where he was backup, to provide cover and mentoring. Maher Hammami, 16, and Houssem Mathlouthi, 18, are the prospects. Hammami is rated much higher by my staff. Fullbacks Club Africain agreed to extend the loan of Haythem Bejaoui, 19, and I'm looking for him to take a step up and potentially be a star on the right side. Ali Abdi, 25, was bought from Stade Gabesien, where he was their starter at left back. He'll start for us, relegating 29 year old Maher Jaballah, last year's starter, to backup duty. 22 year old Taha Maghzaoui was resigned to provide depth on the right side. 18 year olds Mehdi Rekik and Samir Ben Rejab are marginal prospects on the left and right side respectively. Defensive Center 26 year old Nigerian Celestine Lazarus will feature with Amir Dridi, 29 years old. 26 year old Heithem Sassi and 27 year old Youssef Irathni also return. 21 year old Jasser Khemiri may also get some run - he's a product of our youth setup, an intelligent if unathletic defender. I'm still looking to improve this position. Defensive Midfield 27 year old Issam Dhklalli is a physical specimen, and he'll once again serve as our anchorman. I've started training him as a DR, in case I need him there. He'll be backed up by 17 year old Ilyes Atchan, a highly regarded prospect. Little used 29 year old Rebai Wassim Kamoun is also around. Central Midfield 24 year old Khemais Maaouani will once again by our dynamic mobile midfielder, partnered with playmaker Mohamed Doumouya, 24 year old Ivorian. They'll be backed up by 2 youngsters, 16 year old Nabil Dhaou, and 17 year old Omar Trabelsi (purchased from our affiliate AS Ariana). There's a bunch of other barely useful players hanging around, some of whom got some game time last year. Wide Midfield On the left side, we bring back two 29 year olds, Ahmed Hosny and Ivorian Constant Momble. The staff prefers Hosny, I prefer Momble. Both played well last year. On the right side, we have a new addition, 24 year old Bilel Tbargui, bought from League 2 team Ben Guerdane, where he scored 15 goals in 27 games last year. He's nominally a striker, and he will provide cover there, as well as on the right side, where he'll likely split time with last year's starter 29 year old Khalil Gasmi. Wassim Gasmi, an 18 year old prospect is also around, but we're not that excited about him. Forward 18 year old Ghanaian Mohammed Aminu is the hope here. An intelligent and tricky player, he was made ineffective by injuries and inconsistency last year. He'll get every chance to justify his team-high contract (E 60,000/year), but I did bring in some cover for him. We've now got 28 year old Slim Zakar, bought from US Monastir, where he served as backup lat season.M My scouts are quite high on him, but we'll see. Also available is above mentioned Bilel Tbargui, and 2 prospects my staff is lukewarm on, 18 year olds Omar Meddeb (being cross trained as a midfielder) and Ridha Jelassi I'm quite pleased with the additional depth, although I wasn't able to add any star power. Last year we were lucky with injuries; really only one player, Aminu, struggled with health. If we had had bad luck, we would have been in big trouble, because our bench was thin. This year, I've got cover at almost every position I'm comfortable with. I'd still like to add a DC, as I don't totally love Lazarus and friends. The media picks us to finish 9th. The board is expecting a finish "near the top," and at least a quarterfinal appearance in the Cup. And, they want a second round appearance in the Africa Confederations Cup. I'm hoping for a top 4 finish, and I'd really love to make a run at the Tunisian Cup. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pervertwithapurpose Posted January 31, 2019 Author Share Posted January 31, 2019 Preseason Friendlies vs. AS Monaco B, 0-0 draw @ CS Sfax, 1-0 win @ CA Bizerte, 0-3 loss @ ES Sahel, 1-0 win @ ES Tunis, 1-2 loss @ EGS Gafsa (Bannani Testimonial), 1-3 loss @ Club Africain, 0-2 loss @ CS Constantine (Algeria), 2-1 win vs. Hammam-Sousse, 2-1 win @ AS Ariana (junior affiliate), 2-0 win We only have one starter to break in, DL Ali Abdi. Starting DM Issam Dhkilalli and part time ML Ahmed Hosny are both injured for the first week or so of the season, otherwise we go in healthy. OH, and one free transfer comes in late, a youngster I signed on free over a year ago at one of my staff's recommendations, 18 year old Algerian midfielder Mourad Farhi. I'm unfortunately limited to 3 foreigners, which I've already got, and 2 of them I just resigned (DC Lazarus and MC Doumouya), so I can't get him any playing time this year. I may try to find a loan for him, or just keep him in the U21s and see how he does. He looks great, like an ideal anchorman. I guess my tentative plan is to groom him for a year, and then next offseason try to sell Doumouya (my midfield is loaded with prospects). I'm not sure about this job. I enjoy managing in Tunisia, and I like the young players, but the board doesn't seem to care for me. Whenever I approach them about something, they tell me to shut up and color. And their expectations are out of whack with what the media thinks. Speaking of jobs, the Tunisia job came open during the preseason, I applied and was hired! I've never managed internationally, so this will be interesting. The next competitive matches are in November, World Cup Qualifiers Second Round vs. Gambia. There's 2 friendlies in September and October each leading up to that. Here's the season preview for Tunisian League 1: ES Tunis Club Africain ES Sahel CA Bizerte CS Sfax JS Kairouan Stade Gabesian Stade Tunisien US Monastir CS Hammam-Lif CO Medenine Marsa AS Gabes Ben Guerdane I think we can do better than 8th. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pervertwithapurpose Posted January 31, 2019 Author Share Posted January 31, 2019 I've got to choose a squad for the upcoming national friendlies. Here's what I come up with: Goalkeeper Moez Ben Chrifia, 28 years old, 30 caps, ES Tunis. Mouez Hassen, 24 years old, 9 caps, ES Tunis. Aymen Mathlouthi, 34 years old, 52 caps, Al-Batin in Saudi Arabia Ben Chrifia is the first choice, Hassen 2nd choice, Mathlouthi veteran leadership. That's no mistake; ES Tunis has the top two Tunisian goalies. Defense Aymen Abdennour, DC/DM, 30 years old, 70 caps, Valencia Karim Bannani,, DL/WBL/DM, 21 years old, 0 caps, FC Dordrecht Yohan Benalouane, DC/DR, 32 years old, 11 caps, Leicester Dylan Bronn, DC/DR/DM, 24 years old, 19 caps, AA Gent Oussama Haddadi, DL/WBL/DC, 27 years old, 28 caps, Dijon FCO Walid Hichri, DC/DM, 33 years old, 14 caps, ES Tunis Bilel Ifa, DR/DC/WBR/DM 29 years old, 36 caps, Club Africain Ammar Jemal, DC/DL/DM, 32 years old, 32 caps, ES Sahel Iheb M'Barki, DR/WBR, 27 years old, 10 caps, ES Tunis Midfield Larry Azouni, MC/DM, 25 years old, 19 caps, KV Kortrijk Ayman Ben Mohamed, ML/MR/AML/R, 24 years old, 0 caps, ES Tunis Zouheir Dhaouadi, ML/AML, 31 years old, 33 caps, ES Sahel Housem Ferchichi, AMC/AMR/AML/MC/FC, 23 years old, 0 caps, Palermo Wahbi Khazri, AMC/AMR/AML/MC, 28 years old, 57 caps, Sunderland Mohamed Khelij, MC/DM, 31 years old, 17 caps, Chongqing Idriss Mhirsi, AMC/AMR/L/MC, 25 years old, 12 caps, free agent Youssef Msakni, AMR/MR/MC, 28 years old, 62 caps, Al-Duhail Bassem Srarfi, AMR/MR/ML, 22 years old, 0 caps, OGC Nice Forwards Saber Khalifa, FC/AML/C, 32 years old, 53 caps, Colo Colo Mohamed Ali Slama, FC, 0 caps, ES Sahel Not too familiar with most of these, except for a couple of the guys in Tunisia. I'm thinking one of the tricky things here is that World Club Qualifying is happening *now*, in 2019, but the World Cup happens in 2022. So I want to try to identify players who will be peaking in 2022. There were a couple of guys I wanted to pick who were already spoken for on the youth squads, which is a good sign, I think. We have friendlies this month against Venezuela and Guinea-Bissau. I'm going to stick with the 4-1-4-1 for now, but as I become more familiar with the players, I'll probably move to something like a 3-5-2 or a 4-1-3-2. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pervertwithapurpose Posted January 31, 2019 Author Share Posted January 31, 2019 8/28/19 League 1 @ ES Tunis We open our campaign on the road against rivals ES Tunis, holders of the Tunisian Cup, preseason favorites to win the League. So, a very big game obviously. They're a tough team, and I'll be delighted with a draw. Both DR Bejaoui and FC Aminu are playing for their national youth squad, and are unavailable, and DM Dhklalli is injured. They outshoot us 20-8, and win easily, 2-0. Sigh. 8/31/19 League 1 vs. AS Gabes Home opener versus the team picked 13th in the League. They finished 7th last year. Still without Aminu or Bejaoui, and coming so soon after the Tunis game I'm obliged to rest a few starters. Dhklalli is also still out with injury. Nevertheless, we control the game well, and win 1-0. POM is ML Constant Momble who assisted on the goal. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pervertwithapurpose Posted February 1, 2019 Author Share Posted February 1, 2019 9/4/2019 International Friendly, @ Venezuela We travel across the Atlantic to take on Venezuela. I go with a conservative 4-1-4-1 tactic, and they open u a quick 2-0 lead on us. I make a couple of adjustments to roles, and things look better. We get a goal back in the second half, and lose 2-1. 9/10/19 International Friendly @ Guinea-Bissau We thoroughly dominate, and win 4-0. 9/14/19 League 1 vs. Club Africain Home against one of our big rivals and the defending League 1 champ. They've won their first two, and are favored to win today. Dhklalli is back, but we're still without Dejaoui or Aminu. Last year we could not handle this team at all, and I've no reason to believe it'll be different now. They outshoot us, 25-4, but they never really have any good chances, and it ends 0-0. An excellent result! NOTABLE WORLD TRANSFERS Adrian Rabiot from Paris SG to Juventus for E63M Marco Veratti from Paris SG to Barcelona for E112M Mohamed Salah from Liverpool to Paris SG for E107M Paul Pogba from Man United to Paris SG for E92M Eric Bailly from Man United to Paris SG for E65M Kingsley Coman from Bayern to Barcelona for E59M Ousmane Dembele from Barcelona to Man City for E115M Cesar Azpilicueta from Paris SG to AS Monaco for E92M Amadou Diawara from Napoli to Barcelona for E74M Mohamed Elneny from Arsenal to Guangzhou for E53M 9/21/19 League 1 @ CS Sfax Sfax is a solid mid-table team and this should be a tough match. I'm still without Dejaoui or Aminu, both at the African Games. We outshoot them 19-13, but it ends in a 0-0 draw. We played quite well and could have won with a little luck. An encouraging game. Tunisia U23s win the Africa games, beating Morocco in the final. 10/5/19 League 1 vs. CO Medenine FInished 11th last year, picked for 11th again this year, one of the weaker teams in the league. To my mind, there's a clear Top 3 in the league: ES Tunis, Club Africain, and ES Sahel, in that order. I think we're among the best of the rest. Bejaoui is back from national duty, but he's got a broken cheekbone and won't be fit for 3 to 5 weeks. So DR is still going to be a problem. FC Aminu is back, and, shockingly, healthy, so that's a plus. It's a bludgeoning, 3-0, as we win easily. Khalil Gasmi, MR, is POM with 2 goals and an assist. I've got friendlies coming up that I need to choose a squad for. Goalkeepers: Moez Ben Chrifla, 28 years old, 32 caps, ES Tunis Hamdi Kasraoui, 36 years old, 39 caps, CS Sfax (ADDED) Aymen Mathlouthi, 35 years old, 52 caps, Al-Batin (Saudia Arabia) Defenders: Rami Bedoui, 29 years old, 5 caps, ES Sahel (ADDED) Syam Ben Youssef, 30 years old, 103 caps, Kasimpasa (ADDED) Yohan Benalouane, 32 years old, 13 caps, Leicester Oussama Haddadi, 27 years old, 30 caps, Dijon FCO Ammar Jemal, 32 years old, 34 caps, ES Sahel Iheb M'barki, 27 years old, 12 caps, ES Tunis Ali Maaloui, 29 years old, 49 caps, Al-Ahly (ADDED) Kader Oueslati, 27 years old, 7 caps, Al-Fateh (ADDED) Abderrahmane Rebai, 26 years old, 0 caps, ES Tunis (ADDED) Mohamed Ali Yacoubi, 28 years old, 4 caps, ES Tunis (ADDED) Midfielders: Bilal Ben Messaoud, 30 years old, 1 cap, Club Africain (ADDED) Zied Chaalali,j 19 years old, 0 caps, Sfax Railways (League 3) (ADDED) Saber Hraiech, 24 years old, 0 caps, Club Africain (ADDED) Wahbi Khazri, 28 years old, 59 caps, Sunderland Mohamed Khelij, 31 years old, 19 caps, Chongqing Naim Sliti, 27 years old, 37 caps, DIjon FCO (ADDED) Forwards: Hichem Essifi, 32 years old, 8 caps, Stade Gabesien (ADDED) Haythem Jouini, 26 years old, 1 cap, ES Tunis (ADDED) Saber Khalifa, 32 years old, 55 caps, Colo Colo Youssef Abdelli, 21 years old, 0 caps, OGC Nice (ADDED) Lots of new faces as I try out a new 3-5-2 tactic: Wingbacks, flat midfield 3, and a strong/fast strike partnership. 10/11/19, Friendly vs. Uganda We've got two home dates this month, first up is Uganda. A fairly easy 2-0 victory sends the 24,000 fans home happy. Saber Khalifa scored both goals. Initial impressions of the tactic are that it looks solid. 10/15/19, Friendly vs. Hungary I switch out most of my lineup for this one. Hungary puts up a better fight than Uganda, and actually beats us 2-0. It was closer than the score suggested, though - we had a number of good chances that didn't convert. Shots on goal, shots on target, and possession were all about the same. Having said that, they did exploit the space between the midfield and the defense, so I'll have to give a think about how to prevent that. 11/2/19 League 1 @ Ben Guerdane BG was promoted to League 1 this past offseason, so in theory they should be beatable. For the first time this season, my starting XI are present and healthy. We squeak out a cynical 1-0 win, getting an early goal then playing keepaway. 11/6/19 League 1 vs. JS Kairouan Finished 10th last year, predicted for 6th. We handled this team easily last year. GK Rekik has an injured hand, so Ayali, the veteran backup, gets his first start. We win easily, 3-1 (their one goal coming in minute 90), with Aminu scoring twice. 11/10/19 League 1 @ Stade Gabesien Gabesien needed to win a playout to stay up last year. They're picked to finish 7th this year. GK Rekik is still injured, and with a packed schedule I also move ML Momble and B2B Doumouya to the bench, giving their starts to Hosny and youngster Atchan. This is the club we bought new defender Abdi from in preseason. He was shaky in the first two games, but has been excellent since. We draw 0-0 in a tight match. 11/15/19 World Cup Qualifiers Second Round First Leg vs. Gambia We're favored to handle Gambia. This is an elimination match, with two legs, home and home. I assume if we lose we're out, and I'm probably sacked. So I'm feeling a lot of pressure. I made some unusual choices for my squad, and will have some players playing out of position in the tweaked 3-5-2 I've developed. T/a-f9/s b2b/s-cm/a-dlp/d wb/s-wb/a dc/d-dc/s/dc/d Structured/Counter... Retain possession/Push higher up/Close down more/Roam from position. In a very entertaining match, we win at home 4-2. Saber Khalifa (20) Hamza Barry (49) Wahbi Khazri (50) Dylan Bronn (62) Steve (83) Oussama Boughanmi (90) So we take a 2 goal lead into the away match. I've got to tighten up my defense. 11/1919 World Cup Qualifiers Second Round Second Leg @ Gambia I make a couple of tweaks to my tactic: t/a-f9/s b2b/s-ap/a-b2b/s wb/d-wb/s dc/d-dc/d-dc/d Structured/Counter/Retain possession/Push much higher up/Close down more/Roam from position. It goes better than expected Idriss Mhirsi (39) Steve (45) Hamza Younes (45+1) Saber Khalifa (66) Hamza Younes (75) A 4-1 road victory! We were favored, but I didn't think we would do that well. We've been drawn into Group 1 Group 1 Egypt (20) Senegal (22) Tunisia (105) Zambia (106) Group 2 Cameroon (30) Congo (63) Gabon (38) Guinea-Bissau (79) Group 3 Angola (94) Cape Verde (51) Ghana (48) Morocco (50) Group 4 Algeria (36) DR Congo (55) Guinea (75) Mozambique (120) Group 5 Ivory Coast (25) Mali (74) Nigeria (42) South Africa (61) It's a tough group, with the two highest ranked African nations left, and we apparently need to win the group to qualify for the World Cup. Matches start October of 2020. 11/30/19 League 1, vs. US Monastir Finished 6th last season, predicted for 7th this year. Bejaoui is back on international duty, as is GK Rekik. I'm not too afraid of this squad, though - I seem to remember handling them easily last year. We win 3-0, as they only manage 3 shots, none of them dangerous. Aminu scores twice, I think for the second time this season. Kaizer Chiefs win the African Confederation Cup, beating Wits in an all South African final. 2 time defending champion USM Alger was in the Champions League this year. The Champions League was won by Egyptian club Al-Ahly, beating Ivorian side ASEC Mimosas in the final. Wits had been the 2 time defending champion. 12/4/19 League 1, @ CS Hammam-Lif The Hamhama are having a tough year, and sit in 12th. This is an important opportunity to grab some points. And, well, everything goes wrong. We have three players come off in the first half with injuries, give up a penalty in the second half, and lose 1-0. Boo. MC Mohamed Doumouya is out 6-8 weeks with a bad knee, ML Constant Momble out 5-6 months with an achilles, and DC Lazarus is out 2 -3 weeks with a concussion. 12/8/19 Tunisian Cup, vs. CA Bizerte Last year we had a ridiculously easy draw right into the semifinals. This year our first matchup is against one of the big clubs, although we do get a home draw. We're going to be thin with the injuries. 0-0 after full time, we've held the ball well but haven't been able to generate many chances. 0-0 after extra time, we lose our backup MR Tbargui is injured, and we're down to 10 men. It goes to penalties, and we lose 1-3. Boo. An ugly game. 12/14/19 League 1, vs. Marsa Marsa was promoted to League 1 at the end of last year. They're actually a club with some history, having won the Tunisian Cup 5 times. I need a win or morale will start to drop. We win a typical 1-0 game for us, getting a goal early, switching to counter, and shutting the game down. 12/28/19 @ CS Bizerte Last match before the winter break, which I may try teaching this squad the 3-5-2 that worked so well for the international side. With Momble out, I'm short on wide midfielders. I'm not sure I have the depth at DC to make it work, but we'll see. MC Dkhlalli, pcurrently laying at anchorman, could potentially be a ball playing defender, a role I've honestly never used. He doesn't really have much aerial ability. As for the match, it's an important one. I remind the players of our Cup loss to Bizerte, and they respond well, and win an exciting match 3-2. The standings at the break: Club Africain (10-2-0, 32, preseason #2) ES Tunis (9-2-1, 29, preseason #1) Stade Tunisien (7-3-2, 24, preseason #8) CA Bizerte (7-2-3, 23, preseason #5) ES Sahel (6-4-2, 22, preseason #3) JS Kairouan (7-0-5, 21, preseason #6) US Monastir (6-2-4, 20, preseason #10) Stade Gabesien (3-6-3, 15, preseason #7) CS Hamman-Lif (3-6-3, 15, preseason #9) CS Sfax (3-2-7, 11, preseason #4) AS Gabes (2-2-8, 8, preseason #12) CO Medenine (2-1-9, 7, preseason #11) Marsa (1-3-8, 6, preseason #13) Ben Guerdane (1-2-9, 5, preseason #14) Biggest underachiever by preseason odds is CS Sfax. Biggest overachiever is our squad. I'd be very, very happy with a 3rd place finish. Our 2 losses have been @ ES Tunis and @ CS Hamman-Lif. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pervertwithapurpose Posted February 1, 2019 Author Share Posted February 1, 2019 Mid Season Squad Review I'm over payroll and out of transfer budget so don't have much room to make improvements. Here's how we've done so far: Goalkeeper Mounir Rekik, 17, 6 starts, 6.93 rating Ali Ayari, 29, 7 starts 6.96 rating 17 year old Rekik has been first choice, but has not always been available due to injury or international obligations. Both him and Ayari have done well, and I have no concerns about this position. Defense Ali Abdi, 26, 13 starts, 7.03 Amir Dridi, 30, 13 starts, 6.81 Celestine Lazarus, 27, 11 starts, 6.95 Taha Maghzaoui, 22, 5 starts, 6.87, 1 POM Mortadha Baadach, 25, 5 starts, 6.74 Haythem Bejaoui, 20, 3 starts, 7.07 Heithem Sassi, 27, 2 starts, 6.63 Youssef Irathni, 28, 1 start, 6.77 Maher Jaballah, 29, 0 appearances Abdi has been excellent on the left side, and appears to be well qualified for a wingback role in my new tactic. On the right Bejaoui has only been available for 3 games with injury and internationals, but has looked sharp, and I expect him to adapt well to the new tactic. The various backups, Jaballah, Maghzaoui and Baadach, are all competent. I'm surprised Jaballah hasn't gotten into a game yet, he was an important player last year. In the middle, Lazarus has again been our best man. Dridi has been just ok. Midfielders: Khemais Maaouani, 25, 17 starts, 7.10 Khalil Gasmi, 30, 11 starts, 7.12, POM Issam Dhkilalli, 27, 11 starts, 6.87 Mohamed Doumouya, 24, 9 starts, 7.33, 1 POM Constant Momble, 30, 9 starts, 7.46, 2 POM Ilyes Atchan, 18, 4 starts, 7.08, 2 POM Ahmed Hosny, 30, 4 starts, 7.10 Nabil Dhaou, 17, 1 start, 6.93 Omar Trabelsi, 18, 1 start, 6.90 Maaouani and Doumouya have been tremendous in the midfield. Atchan looks like a young star as well, with 2 (!) POMs in 4 starts. Dhkilalli has not impressed, but as anchorman he's not asked to do much. He'll be moved to centerback, and watched carefully. Youngsters Dhaou and Trabelsi will provide cover going forward. Momble is on a long term injury, and may not be back this year. At 30, his future with the club is in peril. I considered moving Gasmi to the midfield rotation in the new tactic (he's an AMC I converted to MR), but have loaned him out for wages to a League 2 team instead. Pure winger Hosny has also been transferred to Power Dynamos of Zambia,, for a small fee and a future friendly. Forwards: Mohammed Aminu, 19, 8 starts, 6 goals, 7.16 Slim Zakar, 28, 5 starts, 6.50 Bilel Tbargui, 24, 2 starts, 1 goal, 6.73 Ok, so moving from a 1 striker formation to one with 2 strikers, what am I supposed to do with this lot? Aminu is obviously solid, but Zakar was a disaster, which leaves just one other possibility. So, I loaned in two: Ahmed Jaziri, 18 from US Monastir. Smart player with good finishing skills. Hasn't really had a chance at this level. Possibly a good fit for an AF role. Mohamed Kamoun, 18 from CS Sfax. Good athlete with some potential, also hasn't had a chance at this level. Both of them will be given chances, I think. Zakar has been transfer listed., with no interest. Looks like he'll be getting paid to cheerlead for some time now. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pervertwithapurpose Posted February 2, 2019 Author Share Posted February 2, 2019 The draw for the Africa Confederations Cup has seeded us against Mafunzo, a semi-professional team from Zanzibar. As they're semi-pro, I assume we'll be favored. Incidentally, the Tunisian League 1 is the most reputable league in Africa, which I did not realize. I just assumed it was either the Egyptian or the South African one. Transfers Patrick Cutrone, Italian striker, from AC Milan to Man City for E127M Leon Bailey, Belgian winger, from Leverkusen to R. Madrid for E111M Suso, Spanish AMR, from AC Milan to Barcelona for E82M Thibaut Courtois, Belgian GK, from Chelsea to Paris SG for E73M Timo Werner, German striker, from RBL to Dortmund for E70M Matija Nastasic, Serbian DC, from Gelsenkirchen to Barcelona for E54M Luis Muriel, Columbian striker, from Sevilla to Liverpool for E50M My new tactic is similar to the one I developed for the National team, with a few tweaks: af/a-dlf/s cm/s-cm/a-cm/d wb/d-wb/s dc/d-dc/d-dc/d Standard/Structured/ Close Down More/Get Stuck In/Roam From Position/Retain Possession/Much Higher Defensive Line I didn't mention when I posted the standings about goal differential. Let's look at them again with that in mind: Club Africain, 22 ES Tunis, 23 Stade Tunisien, 9 CA Bizerte, 9 ES Sahel, 7 JS Kairouan, 3 US Monastir, -3 Stade Gabesien, -3 CS Hammam-Lif, -10 CS Sfax, -4 AS Gabes, -14 CO Medenine, -14 Marsa, -11 Ben Guerdane, -14 So, it's really a two team race, even though we're only 5 points off of 2nd place. Wednesday, 2/12/19, League 1, vs. ES Sahel L'ESS is having a bit of a disappointing season. They were runners up last year, and I thought they'd be in the mix, but they're down in 5th place. Doumouya (3) Ali Slama (13) Tbargui (30) Aminu (33) Kamoun (69) Aminu eviscerates them with a goal and 2 assists, and my suspicion, that Aminu would thrive with a second striker by him, appears to be correct. We cruise, 4-1. Saturday, 2/15/19, African Confederation Cup Preliminary Round, First Leg vs. Mafunzo Based on the press conference we're heavily favored. So, I give some of my youngsters a chance in the first team, including 16 year goalie prospect Maher Hammami's first team debut. Lazarus (3) Dhaou (11) Jaziri (24) Jaziri (31) Jaziri (82) Jaziri, playing in the AF spot, gets a hat trick in his first game for us, and we cruise 5-0. Saturday, 2/22/19, African Confederation Cup Preliminary Round, Second Leg @ Mafuzo (Mao Tse Tung Stadium!) You never know with road games, so I put my starters back in, even with the comfortable lead. Dhkilalli (39) We outshoot them 25-1, but our only goal comes on a corner. We advance, 6-0 on aggregate. Up next: CS Don Bosco from Congo DR. Saturday, 3/1/19, League 1 @ AS Gabes L'ASG find themselves in a relegation battle, currently in 13th place. They're one of the smaller clubs in the League. We've got a home game against the ES Tunis Yankees coming up in 3 days, and a road game against the Club Africain Red Sox 3 days after that, but I go with my starting XI. We've actually got two games a week for the next 3 weeks. Lazarus (13) Similar to our last game against Mafuzo, we get an early goal on a corner. After that it's a sloppy affair, Rekik is forced to make a couple of big saves, and he does, and we win 1-0. Gross but I'll take it. Our youth intake comes, no prospects worth mentioning yet. They'll be given some time in the U18s to develop. Wednesday, March 4, League 1, vs. ES Tunis (2nd) They're in second place, but I believe they're the best team in the League. Rekik is sidelined with injury, and Aminu and Dhkilalli, who both suffered minor injuries in the last match, are not totally recovered either. This is our main rival, the team we never beat. We're on a great run, we've got them at home. I really want to win this one. Badly. But 3 of our best players are out, so I'm not optimistic. Bargougui (32) We put up a valiant fight, but their star striker gets a first half goal, and we continue to have no luck with their star keeper. 0-1 loss. Saturday, March 7, League 1, @ Club Africain (1st) The defending Champs, and imo the second best team in Tunisia. We drew with them at home earlier this year 0-0. I'd be over the moon with another draw today. Rekik and Aminu are back, but Dejaoui is unavailable (he's loaned fro Club Africain), and MC Maaouani is suspended for yellow cards. So, again, I'm not feeling optimistic. They outshoot us 15-5, but only 1 on target for each team. 0-0 draw, I tell the squad after "Great result!" and I mean it. Wednesday, March 11, League 1, vs. CS Sfax (9th) With the latest results we have dropped to 4th place. Sfax actually plays the same formation as us, it may have been where I got the idea. Rusike (6) Jerrahi (8) Jerrahi (76) Dridi (90+4) We win 3-1 in a game that we dominated, particularly in the second half. Saturday, March 14, African Confederation Cup First Round, First Leg, vs. CS Don Bosco The Boscos are a professional team from DR Congo, and I'm not sure what to expect from them. I put Aminu on the bench, with the idea that if I get in trouble I can bring him in the second half. Kamoun (31) Jaziri (42) Khamoun (79) Jaziri (85) An easy win, 4-0. My two loaner strikers each score a pair. Wednesday, March 18, League 1, @ CO Medenine (12th) An important road game, as we're in a race for qualification again. Let's take a look at the standings: Club Africain (17 games played, 14-3-0, 45) ES Tunis (17 games played, 14-2-1, 44) Stade TUnisien (17 games played, 10-4-3, 34) JS Kairouan (16 games played, 11-0-5, 33) CA Bizerte (17 games played, 10-2-5, 32) ES Sahel (16 games played, 7-5-4, 26) US Monastir (17 games played, 7-3-7, 24) Stade Gabesien (17 games played, 4-8-5, 20) CS Sfax (17 games played, 5-2-10, 17) CS Hammam-Lif (17 games played, 3-4-10, 13) AS Gabes (17 games played, 3-2-12, 11) Marsa (17 games played, 2-5-10, 11) CO Medenine (17 games played, 3-2-12, 11) Ben Guerdane (17 games played, 2-4-11, 10) It's a very tight race between 3-5, with only one or two of those teams getting continental qualification. I don't feel like I can afford to drop points at all, and this match should be winnable. Also, very tight relegation fight between 10-14. Bottom 2 get relegated, 12th place plays a playout. Lazarus (18) Amanu (39) Le Com play us tough, but we get a corner kick, and an Amanu goal, and Rekik makes a number of big stops, and we win 2-0. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pervertwithapurpose Posted February 2, 2019 Author Share Posted February 2, 2019 ES Sahel has approached me for an interview. I attend, with no intention of taking the job. They *do* have a significantly higher budget for payroll than my current club. Still, I have no interest. It is curious, however, that my contract is up at the end of the season and Stade Tunisien haven't approached me about renewing. Hmmm. Saturday, March 21st, African Confederation Cup First Round, Second Leg I adopt a more defensive approach just in case, and it leads to a poor performance. Aminu (34) Ilunga (47) We draw the away match 1-1, and win 5-1 on aggregate. In the Second Round, we've been seeded against FC San Pedro of Ivory Coast. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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