In 4-3-3, it doesn't work any better
Ten days ago, it was the last lever that everyone hoped to see activated: the end of a system with three defenders which had displayed all its limits, particularly technical. The end of the match in Brest, where Julien Stéphan had decided to turn the tables, seemed a source of promise with the dynamism of the entrants and an ambition finally displayed.
The two matches that followed make it clear today that there is no longer a ready-made solution to pull out of the hat. Despite a very offensive formula launched against Le Havre, Rennes had all the difficulty in the world to force the Norman lock, each time having more than 60% possession of the ball (their only two times of the season). Sunday at Auxerre, in an almost identical configuration up front (only Kamara replaced Gronbaek in the starting lineup), he finished with a starving total of seven shots attempted for four on target.
In ten days, Julien Stéphan and his staff therefore changed system four times: 4-4-2 in a diamond to start, then 4-4-2 flat with Matusiwa and Kamara in Reims, 3-4-3 for five matches , and therefore 4-3-3 from Le Havre.
READ ALSO. PODCAST. How did Stade Rennais get there? Pleine Lucarne deciphers the debacle in Auxerre
Players come and go
No collective formula has given satisfaction for the moment, but the same can be said of individuals. Who currently appears to be an essential element in the current squad?
In fact, only Steve Mandanda and Ludovic Blas have started all matches so far. Arnaud Kalimuendo would probably have joined them without his participation in the Olympic Games with the France team this summer. The goalkeeper and captain, who has only made 61% saves since the start of the season (18e of Ligue 1), owes its status above all to the absence of a No. 1 bis decreed as such in his position.
On the other hand, Ludovic Blas is perhaps the only constant satisfaction for three months, with Alidu Seidu (suspended on Sunday). The former Nantes player remains SRFC's top scorer and assists player (three goals and two assists) and the main custodian of the game (1is from L1 to the number of actions leading to a shot, 5e to the number of shots on target).
For the rest, 17 players have started at least once (plus Benjamin Bourigeaud in August before his departure). Among the recruits, if Jota and Andrés Gomez have been seen too little at work to form a definite opinion, the others (Hans Hateboer, Leo Ostigard, Glen Kamara, Albert Gronbaek) are starting to attract criticism, while the mid Mikayil Faye's time at Auxerre has calmed the enthusiasm around the young Senegalese.
READ ALSO. Stade Rennais. A historic rout, the fate of Julien Stéphan hangs by a thread
