This Sunday, Blois and Pau Lacq Orthez are playing an important match in the quest to maintain. The fight will be fierce and contested at the Jeu de Paume, and only one thing will count: victory! Which team will best withstand the pressure? See you live from 3:05 p.m. on France 3 Aquitaine or France 3 Center Val De Loire. Lukas Nicot’s analysis.
We must stop the bleeding! In Blois, the magic of the beginnings gave way to agitation and anxiety. The club, author of a dream start to the season with 4 wins to start, was caught up in the reality of the division. The Betclic Elite, as its name suggests, is the elite… Thus, last weekend at Le Mans, the ADA recorded an 8th straight loss leaving the team at the 17e position in the ranking. The dynamic will have to change to get out of the red zone!
Behind the scenes since the end of December, General Manager Julien Monclar had to get busy and make choices to attempt a turnaround. At the microphone of Sweet Fm a few days ago, the speech was clear: “The collective is important in Betclic Elite, but we also realize that talent makes the difference. And talent is money! We have less money than others, so we have less talent than others. Which doesn’t mean that our players don’t have talent. It’s just that the others have more. »
But before recruiting, you have to part with some… So after a squad review, two players were sacked for “insufficient performance”: The Croatian giant Djordje Gagic inside, and leading the American Keandre Cook. For new recruits, the Blois training team first relied on Cingala Mata who came out of a rather convincing freelance with Nanterre. The interior for his first game with the ADA, ticked many boxes despite 5 fouls committed quickly. The Guadeloupe in 13 minutes scored 5 points, took 3 rebounds and intercepted 2 balls against Le Mans. The other addition joined the ship at the very beginning of the week and could well become the new darling of the Jeu de Paume. Robert Johnson signed until the end of the season arrives with his qualities as a scorer and his very… atypical look. Shaggy hair, thick beard, “the man of Blois” will have the role of taking the reins of the attack. The top scorer in the Polish championship last season (20.5pts) should be aligned against Pau.
With Elan Bearnais since the start of the season, it is difficult to form a firm opinion on the real level of this team; capable of the best and the worst. A time at the bottom of the hole with cascading defeats, the club was able to raise the bar well by being attractive and combative at the end of the year 2022! By winning 3 consecutive high-flying successes against Le Mans, Roanne and Dijon, the club has given itself some air and got out of the danger zone.
The Palois therefore celebrated 2023 with a smile, not going far at all from a resounding feat for the recovery in Monaco last weekend (83-77). But if there is a match marked on the calendar of Giovan Oniangue’s teammates, it is that of Sunday. “Monaco is not our championship. The match against Blois is much more important because opposite, it is a direct competitor. said the winger at a press conference. Indeed an away victory would offer the Béarnais in this race to maintain, a mattress of two successes in advance compared to the Blésois.
To try to make a move at the Jeu de Paume, Eric Barthécheky can count on his Zimbabwean pivot Vitalis Chikoko who is currently in great shape. In the last four games he is running at 16.7 points and almost 7 rebounds! Served permanently by his playing master Michael Stockton, the inside could prove to be a real poison for the defense of the ADA, very limited on position 5…
[Analyse de Lukas Nicot, journaliste consultant pour France 3.]
Blois – Pau-Lacq Orthez is this Sunday, October 29 from 3:05 p.m., live on France France 3 Center Val de Loire & France 3 Aquitaine.
Comments: Benoît Bruère, Pape-Philippe Amagou and Lukas Nicot.
