Herve Renard’s immediate priority with Tunisia must be to shore up a defence that has conceded heavily, according to his long-term assistant Patrice Beaumelle. Beaumelle told ESPN that Renard has been brought in midway through Tunisia’s World Cup campaign and must focus on stemming the flow of goals after a damaging start in Group F.
Renard replaced Sabri Lamouchi after Tunisia’s 5-1 opening defeat by Sweden. Lamouchi’s departure, the first time a national side has parted company with a head coach after a single World Cup match, left Renard joining the squad on Tuesday with only three full days before Tunisia face Japan in their second group game on Saturday.
Tunisia arrived in Qatar off the back of a 5-0 pre-tournament friendly defeat by Belgium and the heavy loss to Sweden. Beaumelle highlighted the scale of the problem, saying, according to ESPN, “Conceding 10 goals in the last two games, and eleven over the last three, is something he’ll want to put an end to.” He added that Renard works heavily on the psychological side of the game and will try to restore confidence.
Beaumelle acknowledged the awkwardness of the change for Lamouchi, calling it a sad moment for a friend and respected colleague while saying he was glad Renard would have the chance to take part in the World Cup. He described Renard as a coach who favours defensive solidity and counterattacking plans — an approach Beaumelle said paid dividends with Saudi Arabia and other national teams.
Beaumelle and Renard have a history of delivering underdog results, including Zambia’s 2012 Africa Cup of Nations victory over Ivory Coast and Ivory Coast’s 2015 AFCON final win over Ghana on penalties in Bata, and the pair helped Morocco qualify for the 2018 World Cup. Renard arrives at his fourth World Cup — including the 2023 Women’s World Cup with France — and was the coach when Saudi Arabia defeated Argentina in 2022. Tunisia also face off-field issues, with midfielder Hannibal Mejbri criticising the team after the Sweden loss and fullback Yan Valery showing dissent after being substituted. Upon his arrival in Mexico, Renard told players in a brief press conference: “I’ve told them they have to keep their heads up. You’re here to represent your country.”
