Étoile vs. Olympique de Béja Preview

By: Houssem | January 22nd, 2009

I’d like to start with sharing this article by Étoilée from the excellent power-ess.com. It’s a good illustration of how the average Joe from the main stands (and not the Virage kids) feels about the team right now.

It’s been a few weeks now – maybe a few months – that l’Étoile is beyond recognition. The reasons – at least the ones we are aware of – are numeros, yet the main cause is the team’s reorganization, after a lkot of the players who broke all records left.

For it to come to this, two coaches were replaced, without any notable results, until the arrival of Gernot Rohr, in whom the fans saw the perfect trainer for the lot of players filled with talent at the club.

The watchword was to leave the man time to get acquainted with the large number of players at his dispotion, strengthen it with whoever he sees fit, sort out the good from the bad, and leave his mark.

But after yet another disappointing draw, the crowds are losing their patience and asking many questions. Last to date : the Sakho enigma. Said to be on the leave in this transfer window, everybody was surprised to see him in the starting XI of a must-win league game. What the fans want are explanations, because hearing the coach say ” A point is still good for the take ” is just inadmissible. In fact, we would like to know Rohr’s true objectives and ambitions at our club. Because, let’s face it, not only the results are disappointing, the game is at least just as bad.

As usual, we’re goinng to hope to see some change at the next game, next Sunday against Olympique de Béja in Sousse. Even if our chances of winning the title are tiny, we still have to face other challenges such as the Tunisian Cup, the Champions League qualifiers and maybe finish second of the league.

The group needs to exorcise its demons and get off on the right foot in order to retrieve an efficient attack, a solid defense, and especially a much needed symbiosis in midfield.

Long live l’Étoile !

I couldn’t agree more with what has been said. A coach who’s apparently satisfied with the worst performances we’ve seen for a long time, a groupe of players who lost its homogenity (some who achieved star status and won everything they could, and youngsters who keep coming and going without really settling into the squad). All this leads to a general feeling of incosistency and disappointment among the supporters.

I believe we can manage to grab the 3 points against Béja next Sunday. Here’s the 23 players currently available / deemed in good enough form :

Goalkeepers : Bouderbala, Baâboura

Defenders : Ben Radhia, Meriah, Bejaoui, Abdennour, Jemal, Felhi, Boulaâbi, Manga

Midfielders : Jebali, Nafkha, Everson, Mosrati, Mabrouk, Mosrati, Toniche, Ben Belgacem

Forwards : Bukhari, Ziadi, Jedaied, Ben Dhifallah, Mendoza, Negedu

The main absentees are Mathlouthi, who got the week off due to his injury, Emeka, who will be sidelined month and a half after colliding with Bâaboura in training (pretty stupid huh?), and Sakho, whose performance in the last 2 games didn’t please Gernot Rohr, the latter finally showing some initiative against the not so efficient elements.

Newcomers and possible starters : Everson, who will replace Sakho in midfield, Mendoza & Negedu. It’s probably too early to start them both in attack, but I think at least one of them has to show what he can at some point in this game, maybe if we go two goals up. Attack shouldn’t be the problem, it will be about finding the right combination in midfield. Most importantly, all the players who will be in action need to understand that they have to do whatever it takes to get the 3 points. Drawing isn’t an option if you’re 8 points behind a team who’s experiencing a return to its former glory.