With a late match to return to play in Marseille, Rennes, 5th, is now eight points behind Monaco, 4th, and eleven points on PSG, 3rd. Above all, Metz, Lens and Angers are two or three points behind. “It’s true that in front, the teams have a very sustained pace. We cannot compare ourselves to these teams because we do not have that consistency. We do not have the same qualities, we must admit, ”admitted captain Damien Da Silva after the disappointing draw Wednesday against Lorient (1-1).
Indeed, despite good performances as against Lyon (2-2), the Rennais fell against Lorient in a pattern that had already done them a lot of damage: a mastery of the midfielder, with a ball that circulates well but s rarely approach the opposing goal.
This season, Rennes is also 2nd behind PSG in terms of possession of the ball, but only ranks 9th attack with 31 goals scored against 53 for the Parisians. “It is true that we have a game of possession which does not give us enough scoring opportunities,” admits coach Julien Stéphan, who blasted Wednesday night for the technical waste of his players.
Beyond that, he also noted “a general deficit of enthusiasm” of the Red and Black on the ground. Of course, being in camera is a game-changer. A Breton derby without biniou and without the smells of galette-sausage loses much of its flavor, and with the encouragement of their public, the Rennes might not have let Lorient gain confidence and come back to the score.
Maouassa’s rant
But the absence of an equally motivated public does not prevent the Lensois, surprisingly promoted, to show themselves “enthusiastic and sparkling” on the ground, notes Stéphan. Their maintenance almost assured, the Sang et Or are only two points behind Rennes and do not set limits.
Two months ago, their 2-0 victory at Roazhon Park had also pushed Rennes to the bottom of the pool.
A rant from Faitout Maouassa in the locker room, harsh words from Stéphan and Benjamin Bourigeaud in front of the press, a delegation from Ultras received the next day at the training center, a last defeat three days later in the Champions League against in Sevilla, and Rennes had finally moved forward with seven games unbeaten.
There remains this lack of efficiency, which is also explained by the absence of a prolific striker. When the best Lensois, points to 12th place in the scorers classification with 9 goals, you have to go down to 36th place to find the first Rennais, Bourigeaud, with 4 goals (like Adrien Hunou and Damien Da Silva).
“We have completely rebuilt our offensive animation compared to last year, with the arrival of Serhou Guirassy, Martin Terrier and Jérémy Doku. Jérémy arrived very late, Serhou was injured, Martin had the Covid … “, argues Stéphan. From now on, Guirassy, prolific at the start of the season, has recovered, Terrier has finally found his rhythm in the axis … but Rennes supporters are still waiting for Doku’s first goal, a record transfer from the club in early October.
The 18-year-old Belgian winger multiplies acceleration, dribbling and crosses, but without always finding a partner at the end of the race. And Wednesday, he again missed the 2-0 ball offered by Terrier.
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