Since 2022 will close its doors soon, the editorial staff of the 11 Amen proceeds to its traditional annual retrospective. Kept or almost kept in April, Amiens SC continued their season without desire or conviction. A state of mind that is reflected in the sawtooth results.
Valenciennes, Akolo sees the light
This is undoubtedly the last turning point of the season for Amiens SC. With 37 points on the clock, Amiens have the opportunity to break through and almost secure retention if they win at Valenciennes, one of their closest rivals. After a fairly neutral start to the game, the Picards turn the game around in a matter of minutes, thanks to a brace from Chadrac Akoloscorer of his ninth and tenth goals in all competitions.
All in a rather particular context following the sanctions taken by Philippe Hinschberger against five latecomers (Diakhaby, Dossevi, Bamba, Sy, Doums) in the last training session of the week. ” Some players have reached their limit. I didn’t make this decision to please myself, to exclude people, I wanted to show that the institution must be respected, it’s important, justified the Amiens SC coach after this ninth success of the season. When you make this kind of decision and win, it forces everyone back on track.. »
Bastia, zero across the board
« I think we really have the situations to score in the first half. We didn’t and we broke our necks in the second half. We’ve been better before. Not our best home game. » Philippe Hinschberger’s analysis later the sad draw of Amiens SC against Bastia at least had the merit of being lucid and objective. Almost maintained, Amiens SC has cruel imagination and precision to bend a solid team from Bastia, who came to Picardy above all to take a point. Only a strong momentum around the first half hour of play gave the Amiens SC fans any semblance of hope.
Amiens also avoided the worst on their return from the dressing rooms when Régis Gurtner cleared past Benjamin Santelli, forcing Fofana into a desperate comeback to clear the ball in front of his line. Coming on during the match, Kader Bamba preferred to go for a penalty rather than time his chance after extra time. An insufficient performance to allow Amiens to win their tenth success of the season.
Caen, a hot spot
Facing the team in form at the moment, Amiens approached the trip to Caen with caution, a meeting that kicked off the final week with three games of the season. ” We are two teams playing free, so we will find ourselves facing a big shot in great form and I hope we will be able to give the right counterlaunched Philippe Hinschberger before the meeting. We paid a month ago in Toulouse by taking a box, it didn’t make me laugh. I don’t want to start over. Not so for a Picardy team deprived of Aliou Badji at the last moment, sent off for disciplinary reasons after significantly drying up pre-match chatter.
Without their top scorer, Amiens suffered early in the game, especially through Lamina Sy, the little brother of Harouna Sy. But Gurtner kept an eye on the grain and fended off attempts by Jessy Deminguet, but Prince Oniangué improved at the near post for the opener. The Picards did not let their doubts dissolve and reacted with Tolu, author of the right gesture with a ball aimed at sanctioning Sullivan Péan’s out of time. Outnumbered following Owen Gene’s dismissal, Amiens managed to hold on to this scoreline to bring back the equalizing point from Normandy.
Le Havre, the point of no return
So far it is the match that has aroused the most anger this season. Philippe Hinschbergerbut no less in judging the performance of his team for several games: “ It’s bullshit. We foiled, we didn’t play. We played in flip flops. We played a game with friends. It’s not serious, it’s not respect for football, for our work and for society. I’m the manager of Amiens and I’m pissed about his mediocrity. If we had enough professionalism to play games that we arrive late, damn we’d be French champions, we’d be in the Champions League, I’m telling you this. »
A justified anger given the infamous performance of his team, who however had the weapons to bring down a less than impressive team from Le Havre. However, Amiens made the mistake of not playing as a team, yet again. In addition to the individual arabesques of some, most of the forwards were disconnected from the rest of the team when the ball was lost. Just enough to give a team cut in half and in danger at every opposing turn. In this context, the victory in Le Havre was clearly not stolen and this painful setback brought Amiens back to the place they deserved, far from sixth which was however their declared goal at the end of the season.
Dunkirk, boredom or nothing
Three days after the debacle against Le Havre, Philippe Hinschberger made new strong choices by depriving himself of Kader Bamba and Aliou Badji, leaving Arnaud Lusamba on the bench at kick-off. ” I dont think about it. I have a group to manage, I was very disappointed, frustrated and angry about Tuesday’s match. I absolutely didn’t want to explain in front of 400 people why we had lost this match. He pissed me off, clearly. I heard from the players, took a step back, made my choices and didn’t arguejustifies the coach of the ASC. When you expect a lot from people you are even more demanding, that’s right. That’s life. »
Without their top scorer (Badji) and their best passer (Bamba), Amiens clearly lacked the inspiration to defeat a tiny Dunkirk side, more than ever destined for relegation. With the exception of a goal denied to Tolu Arokodare for an offside position, the best situations have come from set pieces, such as this acrobatic gesture by Formose Mendy which forced Jérémy Vachoux to intervene on his line. The end of the match saw Dunkirk throw the last of his strength into battle, but Régis Gurtner was there to oppose Mohamed Ouadah and Kévin Rocheteau.
Grenoble or how to be satisfied with the minimum
If a match were needed to illustrate Amiens SC’s season, this trip to Grenoble could be the most appropriate. Execrable in the first period, as an offensive sector unable to put itself at the service of the collective – which led Philippe Hinschberger to leave Tolu Arokodare and Kader Bamba at half time – the former top 5 contender gradually raised the tone as he returned from the dressing room, in the wake of a rediscovered Arnaud Lusamba. Enough to allow Aliou Badji to equalize very logically, on an action started by the number 10 of the ASC. Victory was even within the Picardi’s reach, finally too clumsy in the last gesture.
Just enough to draw an overall picture as frustrating as it is tiring of this match and of the season as a whole. All perfectly summed up by Philippe Hinschberger : « Our football is being lost week after week. Our first half is infamous, it’s too weak, it’s unacceptable, it’s unworthy of a Ligue 2 club. How do you want to win in a game like this, when you start playing in game time? I stop analyzing and trying to understand. I’m disappointed, they figured it out. That’s all. I think we’ll be angry until the end of the season and that’s not a problem for me. »
The full report (with xG comparison):
Valenciennes – Amiens: 0-2 (2.24xG – 1.36xG)
Amiens – Bastia : 0-0 (1.33 xG – 0.80 xG)
Caen – Amiens : 1-1 (1.61 xG – 0.95 xG)
Amiens – Le Havre: 0-2 (1.55xG – 1.40xG)
Dunkirk – Amiens: 0-0 (1.17xG – 1.30xG)
Grenoble – Amiens : 1-1 (1.13 xG – 0.93 xG)
