Tunisia head coach Sami Trabelsi has admitted his side failed to meet expectations during the group stage of the Africa Cup of Nations and insists a mental reset is needed as they prepare to face Mali in Saturday’s round of 16 encounter.
The 2004 champions opened their campaign in promising fashion with a convincing 3-1 victory over Uganda but were unable to sustain that momentum. A 1-1 draw against Tanzania was followed by a narrow 3-2 defeat to Nigeria, results that nevertheless proved sufficient to secure progression to the knockout stage.
Speaking at a pre-match press conference on Friday, Trabelsi acknowledged shortcomings in both performance and results, while expressing confidence that his players can respond when it matters most.
“We are not satisfied with the overall performance and results of the Tunisian team in the tournament,” Trabelsi said. “God willing, we will show our true face against Mali and achieve success.”
The Tunisian tactician stressed the importance of the psychological side of the game as the competition enters its decisive phase.
“I hope the result goes our way as a new phase of the competition begins. The mental aspect is very important, and we’ve freed ourselves from pressure,” he added.
Trabelsi also warned that fine margins would likely decide the contest against Mali, a side he described as physically and technically strong.
“Mali is a big team with players of high technical and physical quality. The match will be decided by small details and mistakes, and there won’t be many chances,” he noted. “The most important thing is to take advantage of them. We’ll try to deliver a more consistent performance.”
The coach went on to acknowledge the frustration of supporters, while urging patience as the tournament progresses.
“I understand why people aren’t happy with our performance, but we weren’t that bad. We qualified for the round of 16, and gradually the performance will improve,” Trabelsi said. “Sometimes you play great matches and still exit the tournament. The most important thing is progressing, and we hope to succeed in both performance and qualification.”
Defender Yan Valery echoed his coach’s sentiments, describing the knockout stage as a fresh beginning for the Carthage Eagles.
“We’re ready to deliver a good match against Mali. This is a new tournament starting now,” Valery said. “We’ll learn from our mistakes in the group stage, which will serve as a lesson for the Mali game.”
Valery also highlighted the support the team has received in Morocco.
“We enjoy the support of Moroccan and Tunisian fans. We feel the same pressure we face at club level and deal with it the same way, as we’ve done throughout our careers.”
