England World Cup opponents Tunisia 'well drilled and can reach knockouts', says Stevenage boss Dino Maamria

Focal point: Tunisia will rely on Anice Badri up front in their battle against England tonight
AFP/Getty Images
John Dillon18 June 2018

Tunisians so love the intensity of English football that even the promotion play-offs were shown live on television there last month.

But their ex-pat from the Sahara, now managing Stevenage in League Two, warns that England will face cautious and cagey opponents who will force them to be patient tonight.

Dino Maamria has been in England for 22 years, since he was spotted by a Burnley scout who watched him while on holiday in the country’s Mediterranean resort of Sousse.

After a long career playing and then managing in non-League here, the 47-year-old took charge of Stevenage — where he once played — in March.

Maamria said: “I was back at home recently and watched Tunisia’s friendlies when they drew with Portugal and Turkey. There is a real belief that they are going to be a surprise for England.

“Everybody was talking all the time about how high they had risen in the rankings. They were also only narrowly beaten 1-0 by Spain, with a late goal in the last warm-up match, so England are going to have to be very patient.

“Tunisia are very well-organised and get behind the ball a lot of the time. They sit deep and don’t press but they stay quite compact. They will have only one man up front and the formation is almost a 5-4-1, so they will look to counter-attack when they can

“It could be like an away tie in the Champions League for the English players. Tunisia do like to play from the back and when they get possession, they back themselves. They are not at all bad technically and they will look to slow down the game.

“If was England, I would back off them, let them have the ball a bit, then go and press them from there. The feeling in Tunisia is that if they can get a point from England and beat Panama in the third game, there could be a chance of getting through.”

The days when England followers would nonchalantly dismiss smaller nations are long gone. In particular, there has been a pronounced habit of serving up anti-climactic performances in opening fixtures. The 2-0 defeat of Tunisia in France in 1998 was one of only four first-match victories at the World Cup since 1966 — and even that triumphant campaign began with a goalless draw against Uruguay.

In nine European Championship finals, the team has never begun with a win, so Maamria’s assessment of his national side suggests there could be a tough grind this evening.

Tunisia are, however, missing the one player the Stevenage boss believes has the quality to shine at the top level. Striker Youssef Msakni of Dubai’s Al Duhail club will miss the tournament with a knee injury.

Instead, they will rely on Anice Badri of ES Tunis and Sunderland’s Wahbi Khazri, who spent last season on loan at Rennes. “They will miss Msakni big time,” said Maamria. “And, to be honest, there are not a lot of goals in the team.”

By contrast, the England players are all household names in his homeland. As a boy growing up on the desert fringe of the city of Gafsa, Maamria named his pet goat “Gary” in honour of Gary Lineker after he was leading scorer at the 1986 tournament in Mexico.

“My loyalties are split,” he said. “I want England to win the World Cup, so a draw will be fine with me.”

Player Club Age Caps Goals
Goalkeepers        
Jordan Pickford Everton 24 3 0
Jack Butland Stoke 25 8 0
Nick Pope Burnley 26 1 0
Defenders        
Phil Jones Manchester United 26 25 0
John Stones Manchester City 23 26 0
Harry Maguire Leicester 25 5 0
Gary Cahill Chelsea 32 60 5
Kyle Walker Manchester City 27 35 0
Kieran Trippier Tottenham 27 7 0
Trent Alexander-Arnold Liverpool 19 1 0
Ashley Young Manchester United 32 34 7
Danny Rose Tottenham 27 18 0
Midfielders        
Eric Dier Tottenham 24 26 3
Ruben Loftus-Cheek Chelsea 22 4 0
Jordan Henderson Liverpool 27 39 0
Fabian Delph Manchester City 28 11 0
Dele Alli Tottenham 22 25 2
Jesse Lingard Manchester United 25 12 1
Forwards        
Raheem Sterling Manchester City 23 38 2
Harry Kane Tottenham 24 24 13
Jamie Vardy Leicester 31 22 7
Marcus Rashford Manchester United 20 19 3
Danny Welbeck Arsenal 27 39 16

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