Sentiments of fans of these two clubs regarding each other are at extreme ends. Esperance Tunis fans don’t feel like their team is ready to face Sundown. On the other hand, Masandawana is bored of going to Morocco, Algeria and Egypt over and over again so are delighted to check out Rades. These two teams have met three times before in the CAFCL group stage (2000, 2001 and 2017) with the Tunisians just leading the head-to-head. What are the talking points ahead of their CAFCL semifinals encounter?
Bonus – Club World Cup Spot
I only include this as a bonus yet it is getting the most airtime out there. Neither side wants to miss out on the first edition of the expanded FIFA Club World Cup. One will have to knock out the other to keep fate in their own hands. Otherwise, they should hope that TP Mazembe does not win the CAFCL this season.
Chaalali or El Ayeb
Has Miguel Cardoso sabotaged himself? There was a renewal in the style of Esperance when he took over as coach. Central to that was the direct play and second-balls danger of Zakaria El Ayeb. But the midfielder was sidelined for the returning Chaalali ahead of the CAFCL quarterfinal matches against ASEC Mimosas. The experienced player brings that and ball-holding in midfield but you couldn’t help but notice what had been lost. The Tunisians were not able to create threatening moments warranting their dominance. Cardoso will be called upon to make the choice again when they face Sundowns, which is a different proposition. Will he choose to scrap for chances or will he want to keep things predictable, especially in Rades?
Sundowns Idealism
There are people who think that Sundowns are fizzling out. Sure, they are dominating possession and dictating the tempo but it’s not that entertaining anymore. I have come across Sundowns fans who say they will only continue to tolerate Chameleon football and what not if Rhulani Mokwena delivers the CAF Champions League. Teams are opting to sit deep, pack the middle and wait against Sundowns. This is one of the reasons why the goals have dried up for the PSL champions. Yanga played out two goalless draws against them then, strugglers, Richards Bay and Cape Town Spurs limited them to one goal each. This will be concerning if not turned around against arguably the most pragmatic of the North African teams. Seriously, Esperance doesn’t really care about philosophy outside of advancing in CAFCL. They once had Belaili and Msakni in the same team and barely ever started them together.
Esperance Brazilians
First of all, I am in the camp of those Taraji fans who think that it’s just ridiculous for their team to sign Brazilians. And the disappointing show by Yann Sasse and Ricardo Rodrigues against ASEC is a point for our corner. If they deliver in their biggest CAFCL match so far all could be forgiven. It helps that they will be seeing Ribeiro Costa featuring for the other team. It could push them. Seriously though, Rodrigues is not being involved enough in Esperance’s play and Sasse is partly to blame for that. He is not imposing himself in CAF Champions League matches. I am just going to come out and say it – it’s better to start Bouguerra and Ghacha/Bukia on the wings.
Central Defence Weakness
Pundits and analysts have been working to pin point personnel weakness in this Sundowns squad. They have settled on central defence and I agree with them. I don’t know if it’s because of the recurring absences of the likes of Coetzee but they have looked shaky when being placed to task. Supersport tested them and Yanga did as well (oh Mzize…). But they have a tremendous goalkeeper who has so far been able to keep things under wraps. Is this a point of concern for you regarding this Sundowns team?
cafcl gazette 