© Reuters 2002

By David Clarke

BAMAKO, Jan 22 (Reuters) - Tunisia's French coach Henri Michel has severely criticised his players on Tuesday after a lacklustre performance in their opening African Nations Cup game against Zambia.

Michel, who will be going to his fourth World Cup finals with his fourth team this year, said the Tunisia players showed their limitations in Monday's goalless draw in Mali's capital of Bamako.

"There was a lack of lucidity, a lack of experience, they were perhaps a little clumsy and they didn't take the risks needed at certain times - that's quite a lot," Michel, who took the Tunisia job at the end of November, told reporters.

"If that was the worst they can do then we have a lot of hope, if that was the best then we are going to have plenty of concerns.

"I think the team is capable of playing well but it has its limits - and it showed (on Monday) in both attack and defence.

"What else can I tell you? I don't know how you can succeed with anything other than hard work and talent. We don't have time to work, so they will just have to play with their qualities and faults."

Tunisia are competing in their fifth successive African Nations Cup finals but have never won the tournament, besides hosting it twice.

Monday's stalemate also means they have failed to win the opening game at the last five attempts.

Psychological Condition
The north African nation now faces traditional rivals Egypt before taking on fellow World Cup finalists and group leaders Senegal in the final match.

"The problem now is that we're not in the best psychological condition as we pretty much have to win, and it's Egypt, a long-standing adversary for Tunisia," he said.

"It will be very hard and very difficult to win and we'll have to be good."

Michel was particularly critical of Tunisia's defence.

In fact, the only player he praised by name was Zambia's lively forward Dennis Lota, who caused problems and could well have won the tie at the death.

Michel said: "Defence is one of Tunisia's major faults. We have quality players but we have some with major problems of position, speed and tackling.

"We have to try and improve, but it's going to be difficult. I can't be satisfied with the defence when we nearly lost the match."

Tunisia had the lion's share of possession in a pulsating game but both sides lacked composure in front of goal, fluffing chance after chance in the face of staunch defending, a recurring theme so far at the finals in Mali.

Defensive Strategy
In 720 minutes of football, only five goals have been scored - one every 2-1/2 hours.

The President of the Zambian Football Association, Evaristo Kasunga, said after the game that the southern Africans had played defensively but it was a deliberate strategy.

But Michel said that was no excuse for his strikers.

"At one moment or another, someone has to take responsibility for shooting from long range to draw the defenders out. They didn't do that," he said.

Michel, who has taken France, Morocco, Cameroon and now Tunisia to the World Cup finals, also criticised the state of the pitch and Italian clubs for not respecting the players.

The Tunisian squad has three players based at Serie B club Genoa, including striker Hassen Gabsi.

Michel said: "He (Gabsi) had a problem for months in Italy, but when they don't respect the players and give them injections to play we end up with the situation we're in now...his ankle is in a catastrophic state."

Tunisia are in group H of the World Cup finals, alongside Japan, Russia and Belgium.