Moeen Chaabani: Tunisia must change mentality or even Guardiola could not help

Moeen Chaabani said Tunisia’s mentality must change after a damaging 2-0 defeat by Libya in the Africa Cup of Nations 2027 qualifiers.

The result, recorded in Tunisia, came in the third round of qualifying and left the Carthage Eagles bottom of Group H with two points.

Speaking at a news conference, Tunisia manager Chaabani expressed his disappointment and warned that a change in attitude was essential if the national team was to recover.

“The mentality has to change, but if it remains the same, we will not be able to recover again, even if Guardiola came to coach the Tunisia national team,” he said.

Chaabani added that Tunisia’s approach was exposed when playing opponents outside the country.

“When we go out to face other national teams outside Tunisia, we discover that mentality is the most important thing for the people, sport and football,” he said.

He also suggested that some members of the squad did not feel fully accepted while on international duty.

“There are some players who feel like outcasts in the national team and that they are not from Tunisia, unlike how they feel at their clubs,” Chaabani said.

The defeat was Tunisia’s latest setback in the qualifying campaign, with the team now facing the prospect of needing a significant improvement in results and performances.

The Carthage Eagles will have an immediate chance to respond when they travel to face Libya in the fourth round of the qualifiers in their next match.