Tunisia come into their opening match of the 2022 World Cup having already achieved the success of overcoming the trials of qualification.
As many pundits have pointed out, for a nation the size of Tunisia up against a wealth of talent across the African continent, to play in the World Cup finals is a moment of great pride and represents career heights for many of their players.
The Tunisians are featuring in their sixth World Cup, a well-known competitor in the finals even in recent years. That said, they have never made it out of the group stages in any of their five previous attempts, and have won just two matches in their history in the tournament.
No side turns up to lose, and, as they proved in their tie against England in 2018, a side hungry to prove themselves on the biggest stage in world football can be tough competitors on their day.
With their opening clash against Denmark on day three approaching imminently, Sports Mole has found three reasons that may see Tunisian fans increasingly confident of a win in their opening World Cup game on Tuesday.
Bring up the barricades
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Setting up in a 4-1-4-1, Jalel Kadri will be utilising a low-block against Denmark. This is not a unique occurrence for Tunisia; it has been their Plan A throughout qualification and even in AFCON 2021.
The low-block has proven to be key to their defensive strategy in qualifying, with an impressive seven consecutive clean sheets in 2021-22 very much backing Kadri to continue in similar fashion for this tournament.
Tunisia will use a narrow back four and a tight central defensive three to show Denmark to the wings, encouraging wing-play and creativity from crosses. This will allow them to maximise their organisational strengths as well as nullify the freedom of the Danes' midfield unit to play through the lines.
Should their opposition attempt to overload the box, Tunisia can count on FC Koln's Ellyes Skhiri to slot into the defence to form a back five. He may also move into this defensive position to support build up play, being a very capable direct progressive passer from deep positions.
Exploiting overcommitted full-backs
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As a consequence of the narrow block, as well as the natural tendency of Denmark's attacking width, Tunisia will be presented with options to counter through the channels.
The free-moving full back Joakim Maehle and flexible creative force Daniel Wass will be pushed up high against Tunisia. Often, it will look like they operate exclusively as wingers, with Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Thomas Delaney being relied on to cover the flanks on the transition.
Neither Delaney or Hojbjerg would attest to being the most agile and quick defenders, and should wingers Wahbi Khazri and Naim Sliti find space and time to advance into the space, high quality chances may be carved out seemingly from out of nowhere.
Of course, overcommitting players rarely happens when a team is in a position of strength. Being a consequence due to the demand of having to net a goal to lead a match, Tunisia must maintain the pressure of Denmark's must-win expectation for long, sustained periods of the game. Should they do so, they will find chasms of space emerging for Khazri, Sliti and striker Seifeddine Jaziri to exploit.
Fear of the unknown
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Whilst the expectation for Tunisia to be a primarily defensive side has been established for good reason - eight of their last 11 games have featured either just one goal or less - a hidden weapon lies within the arsenal of any manager of less-reputable teams in tournament football.
With the weight of expectation very much off the shoulders for Tunisia, the manager and the players themselves are provided with the advantage of freedom in their decisions. In periods where the likelihood of a result may be fading, Kadri may have an entirely different Plan B organised for his players.
As Plan Bs go, it will be extremely advantageous to deploy largely unrecognised players from the bench that have within them the ability to throw off Denmark's game plan of positional superiority.
A switch to a back five that doubles up options out wide could force Denmark to retreat on the flanks, denying the Danes a clear and obvious position of strength.
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