Called to the rescue to replace Óscar García – whose deputy he had been since this summer – on October 13, Will Still has since taken Stade de Reims to greater heights since its golden period in the 1950s-early 1950s. 1960. Having still not known defeat in 17 league games – only Thomas Tuchel with Paris Saint-Germain had the best start (20 games) – the young Belgian (30) is 2e of Ligue 1 Uber Eats since the 11e day and its 1is game on the bench against Lorient (0-0).
Ligue 1 ranking Uber Eats since 11e daytime
How did he bring Stade de Reims to 1re array part (8e before the 28e day), when the club was 15e upon his arrival, with only one victory in 10 games?
A found defense
Very porous at the start of the season under the leadership of the Spanish tactician (19 goals conceded), it is a real wall that stands against his opponents since Will Still was inducted number 1. Now arranged in 4-2-3- 1, while playing with a 3 central defense under the Spanish coach, the SdR is the best defense of the 5 major European championships since October 13, along with FC Barcelona (7 goals conceded). Captain Yunis Abdelhamid’s partners only conceded once over the period, in a 4-2 win against FC Lorient on 1is FEBRUARY.
If the Reims rearguard enjoys a certain success in the momentum of the club’s unbeaten series (12.1 goals conceded less than its Expected Goals suffered, again the best European differential over the period), several indicators show that she is now an iron defense figure in Ligue 1 Uber Eats.
The Stadium thus has the 3e lowest total Expected Goals suffered since J11 (19.1). A performance that is all the more remarkable given that, if we only take into account shots on target, the club has the best xG value (13.3). But it is above all on the clean sheets that he impresses: 11 in 17 games, remaining in 6 games without conceding a single goal, a new record in its history in Ligue 1 Uber Eats.
A defensive efficiency that allowed the emergence of a goalkeeper who had only 2 games in the French elite before taking his place in the goals of the Champagne club a few months ago: Yehvann Diouf.
Yehvann Diouf, the rampart of the City of Kings
Left at the beginning of the season to be the understudy of Patrick Pentz, recruited to compensate for the departure of Predrag Rajković to Spain last summer, the native of Montreuil took advantage of a delicate start from the Austrian goalkeeper to settle in the Reims cages from September 18 against AS Monaco and never to leave them again.
And for good reason: with 85.2% of shots saved in Ligue 1 Uber Eats 2022/23, the 23-year-old goalkeeper has the best percentage of his kind in the French championship and is only beaten by Ralf Fährmann (FC Schalke 04 – 88.9 %) and Marc-André ter Stegen (FC Barcelona – 86.2%) among the goalkeepers of the 5 major European championships with at least 2 games played. Since the 11e day, this percentage even climbs to 88.5% (2e best percentage of the European TOP 5).
Reassuring in the air – only Alban Lafont (FC Nantes) succeeds in more aerial outings than him in Ligue 1 Uber Eats – the Franco-Senegalese does not only benefit from the great form of the SdR: Diouf is also one of the porters who avoid the most goals to their team. According to the Expected Goals, this season in Ligue 1 Uber Eats, he would have avoided 7.5, conceding only 12 goals for 19.5 xG on target, the best differential in the championship.
A team that recovers high… and projects quickly
Lack of significant experience as a number 1 before his debut with Stade de Reims (13 Jupiler Pro League games with Beerschot in 2020/21 for only mandate in a club of 1re division), it was difficult to get a real idea of the directives asked by Will Still from his players, when he landed during the season in a team at the gates of the relegation zone and which could have tended to fold. However, the numbers are clear: Reims press high and surprise their opponents with their rapid projections.
In Ligue 1 Uber Eats since the 11e daytime
|
Category |
Name |
Ranking |
|
High recoveries |
170 |
2e |
|
Direct attacks |
35 |
2e |
|
Shots |
250 |
2e |
|
Winning presses |
269 |
3e ex-equo |
|
Opponent passes per defensive action (average) |
10.4 |
6e ex-equo |
Example with the meeting against ESTAC in mid-February. That day, Stade de Reims made 16 high digs, their co-best total in a Ligue 1 Uber Eats encounter this season, one of which resulted in 2e goal scored by Myziane Maolida.
A few minutes later, at the start of the second period, it was this time on a direct attack that the Rémois worsened the score.
An action where the star rookie of last summer on the side of Auguste-Delaune, the Japanese Junya Ito, recovers the ball in the Trojan feet before serving Alexis Flips – who will give the decisive pass – symbol of the capacity of the middle of Asian ground to be the first creator of his team, he who is at the start of 20 sequences leading to a shot in Ligue 1 Uber Eats 2022/23, one of the highest numbers among attacking midfielders.
Although Ito is not directly involved in this goal as a decisive passer, he nevertheless remains the main provider of chances for Stade de Reims, benefiting from a lower position on the pitch than under García, when he evolved as 2nd attacker. Evidenced by his value of Expected Assists in the game this season: 6.2, 2e highest total behind Lionel Messi.
An ease in the distribution of the ball which notably benefits Folarin Balogun, on loan from Arsenal and one of the revelations of our championship.
Cannonball Folarin Balogun
The young English striker, who arrived following Hugo Ekitike’s departure for Paris Saint-Germain, did not wait for the arrival of Will Still to leave his mark on his stay in the Marne. Scorer in 5 of his first 6 matches in Ligue 1 Uber Eats and winner of the first “Nugget of the month” trophy in August, he continued his momentum to reach 16 goals before the clash against OM on Sunday, becoming of the J27 against AS Monaco, at 21 years and 252 days, the youngest player to find the net so often during his 1re season in the French top flight since Mohammed Salem with Sedan-Torcy in 1960/61.
Scorer against each of the teams in the current Ligue 1 Uber Eats Top 5 this season – the only player in this case – the New York native has scored 46% of Stade de Reims’ goals in 2022/23 (16/35), the best ratio for a player in the goals of his team, testifying to his essential character, even if the rest of the 11 is of course no stranger to the very good Champagne season. Moreover, his 16 goals brought 15 points to the SdR, again the best total of the elite.
Never stingy with attempts – he has 81 shots to date, 4e best total in Ligue 1 Uber Eats behind the Parisians Mbappé and Messi, and the Lille resident David – these are characterized by their dangerousness. Indeed, the striker has the best Expected Goals value excluding penalties in the elite (13.77).
His performance at the finish showed that Stade de Reims could aim for more than a quiet hold, he who is now only 4 small points from 5e like, at 1re qualifier for European competitions, which the City of Coronations has only seen once in the last 60 years.
Interview Folarin Balogun
