KANSAS CITY, June 24 (Xinhua) -- Tunisia head coach Herve Renard said Wednesday that his already-eliminated side must finish its World Cup campaign with pride and dignity when it takes on Group F leader the Netherlands, after a tournament rocked by a swift coaching change and two heavy defeats.
"It's a very difficult time, tough time. But it happens in football sometimes," Renard told a pre-match press conference. "This is a moment we have to be strong to finish this World Cup as best as possible."
Tunisia heads into Thursday's match at the bottom of the group following a 5-1 loss to Sweden and a 4-0 defeat by Japan, results that prompted the Tunisian Football Federation to sack Sabri Lamouchi just one game into the tournament.
Renard, 57, was appointed through the end of the World Cup on Tuesday last week and took charge for the Japan clash, but the Frenchman said his message had failed to land.
"I'm not satisfied at all. And I'm not satisfied about the message I passed on, because I think this message was not received properly," Renard said. "I'm not used to trying to find excuses and blame the others. I take these things for myself."
"After Japan, I was a bit ashamed. Let's concentrate now on the next game and try to find something difficult to reach, but it's necessary for us," he added.
Renard, who famously guided Saudi Arabia to a stunning 2-1 victory over eventual champion Argentina at the 2022 World Cup, has also won Africa Cup of Nations titles with Zambia and Cote d'Ivoire.
Despite his pedigree, the experienced coach has been unable to reverse Tunisia's fortunes in the space of a few days, with the Carthage Eagles conceding nine goals across two games after a qualifying campaign in which they did not let in a single goal.
Goalkeeper Aymen Dahmen, who started in the Japan defeat, acknowledged the crisis but insisted the squad remains united.
"The group is still solid. It's still united. We are living together, we are unified. We are very strong since we were in Canada," Dahmen said. "Things were destabilized and that's only normal because we are in the World Cup."
"The only thing we need is for us all to carry ourselves, carry the responsibilities. Anyone needs to be responsible for the match tomorrow, we will work based on the history of our national team and do our best," Dahmen added.
Renard called on his players to show character against a Dutch side that leads the group on goal difference ahead of Japan, with both teams on four points.
"We need to finish this competition as cleanly as possible. Football requires pride, even when the situation is difficult, and you need to be facing these situations with dignity, all the way to the end," he said. "I hope that we will maintain this pride and this dignity tomorrow as we play against this great team of the Netherlands."
Looking beyond the tournament, Renard left the door open to staying on but stressed that the focus remains on the final group match and a subsequent review.
"I'm open to any discussion. I'm ready to listen to the project, whatever it is, but this is not what I'm here for. I've got one mission," he said. "After this last game, we'll have to take stock of the situation." ■
