Tunisia: If every other top-tier country gets a debilitating sickness
Is that harsh?
If you’re reading this in Tunisia, the answer is probably yes. Hey, they came out on top of their group in World Cup qualifying, and didn’t lose any of the six matches they played in. Tunisia play hard and fast, and don’t give up under tough circumstances.
That’s where the praise for this team stops. Outside of their keeper Balbouli, no healthy player on the team has more than 45 caps. This could be looked at as a good thing in the long run, as Tunisia haven’t made it to the World Cup the past two tries before 2018, and their oldest outfield player is 28 years old. This might be their best shot at winning anything in this tournament.
However, they just don’t have enough talent to take on the likes of the national teams above. Their best shot is if all of them stay at the same hotel where a flu-like virus spreads faster than a fake viral news story on Facebook. Maybe the Tunisian players can take everyone out barhopping the night before their matches?
When they play England or Belgium and everybody except Jamie Vardy or Kevin Mirallas is sick or hung-over, Tunisia would have a fighting chance. Otherwise, it’s up to the soccer gods to shine down on them each and every minute of every game if they want to stay for longer than three games.
When your best player, Wahbi Khazri, is on loan from Sunderland, maybe just try to enjoy the ride while the car is still running.