Stout-hearted football has always come and gone in Tunisian football. But this season it is different. It is not just stout play, but clever play. There are courses of action. There are more defined functional roles. There is rhythm in the way clubs move, press, and win. Four clubs are particularly tuned in. They are not just providing table-topping with attention; they are rewriting the script. And, however that takes place: by holding, harrying, or plain backline steel, they are getting results off the back of hard, cold numbers.
The Five Clubs Who Are Setting the Tone
All of these sides provide a distinct style and strategy, and of course, they all have a reason.
Espérance de Tunis — Precision in Motion
Espérance does not chase matches. They dictate them. Their pass completion rates of 63.51 and above, which is a staggering 600 or more pass frequencies in matches leads them to move the defenders as one normally moves chess pieces. It is not the attractive team that Miguel Cardoso advocated, it is his calculated and absolute one.
Ghanaian forward Bernard Morrison is leading the line with already six goals. Their midfield triangle consistently completes more than 85% of their passes under pressure. They create 1.92 expected goals per game and rarely get countered.
In an away clash with Ben Guerdane, Espérance put up 612 passes and 11 shots on target. Performances like that have made a mark on Melbet Tunisie, where Espérance consistently appear among the most stable picks in HT/FT and total over 2.5 goal markets.
Club Africain — The Young Revolution
Club Africain is committed to youth. The average age of their starting eleven is just over 23, and they play fast, high, and hungry. Saïf Ghezal’s plan is easy to depict in just a couple of sentences: press first questions later.
Achraf Labidi, just 19 years old, has already taken on more defenders than anyone else in the league, but that’s not all. Seven players from the Club’s academy get significant minutes. The team leads the league in high turnovers, turning the ball over more than any other team in the opponent’s attacking third.
In their last win, a 2-0 win at Métlaoui, both goals came just seconds after dispossession in the attacking third. This is not your regular enthusiasm; it’s chaos with some organized chaos.
US Monastir — Tactical Adaptability at Its Best
No team in Tunisia switches shape as effectively as Monastir. One weekend they’re pressing in a 4-3-3, the next they’re sitting deep in a flexible 3-4-2-1. It’s not confusion — it’s preparation.
Coach Darko Novic reads each match individually. Against Etoile, they soaked up pressure, then flipped the system at halftime to overwhelm wide spaces. They’ve logged the highest number of successful tactical switches per match this season.
Here’s how their numbers look so far:
| Metric | Value | League Rank |
| Possession | 52.3% | 4th |
| Goals per match | 1.5 | 3rd |
| Clean sheets | 5 in 10 matches | 2nd |
| Tactical shape changes | 1.6/game | 1st |
| Press resistance index | 83.2 | 1st |
Monastir doesn’t rely on one shape or one rhythm. They bend without breaking — and find space where others don’t.
The strength of their system also rests on detail. These in-game habits set them apart:
- Full-backs invert into midfield in possession
- Wingers drop inside only after the first pressing wave.
- Defensive line shifts laterally, not vertically.y
- Midfielders rotate zones, not positions.ns
- Keeper starts attacks — not just restarts play.
That discipline makes them one of the most unpredictable teams in North Africa.
Etoile du Sahel — Set-Piece Superiority
Set pieces aren’t just a phase of play for Etoile. They’re an art form. 44% of their goals this season have come from dead-ball situations — corners, free kicks, and throw-ins.
Hamza Mathlouthi already has three headed goals. Playmaker Yassine Chikhaoui has created 27 chances directly from set pieces — more than double anyone else in the league. It’s clinical, repeatable, and brutally effective.
Defensively, they’re just as tight. Only six goals conceded in ten matches. In their win over CS Sfaxien, both goals came from structured set-piece sequences.
Their matches average just 1.9 goals — the lowest in the league — and often swing based on one dead-ball opportunity. It’s not flashy, but it’s efficient.
Olympique Béja — Ruthless on the Counter
Olympique Béja don’t want the ball — they want the space behind it. With just 40% possession on average, they’ve built a system entirely around verticality and speed. When they strike, they do it with intent.
Striker Amine Hammami is a standout. Six goals from twelve shots. His ability to time diagonal runs behind high lines has been devastating. Béja’s counters are rehearsed: two passes, one overlap, final ball, finish.
Here’s what sets them apart from the rest:
- Fastest transitions in the league (avg. 8.6 seconds to shot after recovery)
- 73% of goals scored after the 55th minute
- Top 3 in xG per shot
- Only three goals conceded in the final 15 minutes
- 81% pass accuracy during counters
That kind of clarity makes them a nightmare to break down — and even harder to chase once they’re ahead.
The Season Behind the Stats
Tactics alone don’t define a season. Real stories, real decisions, real pressure — those are shaping this campaign too.
CS Sfaxien parted ways with top scorer Mohamed Ali Moncer in January after a heated clash with club executives. It rattled the dressing room and shifted the balance mid-title race.
Matchday 8 delivered controversy when Club Africain’s late winner against Etoile was ruled out after a long VAR review — triggering outrage from both sides.
And on the continental stage, Espérance’s 3–2 comeback over Al-Merreikh in the CAF Champions League made it clear: Tunisian clubs are no longer just organized — they’re fearless.
No One-Size-Fits-All Formula
There’s no universal blueprint for success in Tunisia this year. Some teams dominate with the ball. Others dominate without it. But the one thing they all share is clarity. Every club in this top five knows exactly who they are — and that’s what makes them dangerous.
