We thought they were relaunched after a mixed start to the season, but the Brestois sank on Friday at Auxerre (3-0). Under the Burgundian flood, Éric Roy’s men were outclassed by the Icaunais who had been in poor shape for several weeks. A large and clear defeat which worries as the Bretons will experience the first trip in their history in the Champions League this Tuesday, against Red Bull Salzburg. Among all the problems encountered by the SB29 since the start of the season, the absence of Pierre Lees-Melou is a burden which is becoming very detrimental sportingly, and which is starting to raise some questions internally. Author of the best season of his career last year, the former Nice player has still not played a single minute this season, while his fibula injury, which occurred against Rennes on April 28, but which manifested itself against Nantes on May 4, drags on.
Already more than a month and a half late
« The surgeon told us about three months. We hoped to be able to reduce this period, but in the end we will soon reach three months, in a few days… And it will perhaps be a little more »launched Roy at a press conference… on August 15, before being defeated by OM during the first day of Ligue 1 (1-5). We are now in October, and the deadline announced by the doctor has passed for a long time, but the Brest playing master has still not been part of any group. This week again, for the trip to Austria, he was not summoned. However, as during every press conference, the Brest coach seemed confident about the imminent return of his metronome. « He still has one last step to validate, it is the long game and the strikes »he estimated before the Auxerre rout. Lees-Melou has actually been participating in training for a while. He just can’t put on the right intensity, especially with his right leg, where a plate was placed following his operation. « Everything has to be organized. We can imagine that it would be complicated. But I hope that with time, things will get back to normal. »Roy explained in mid-August.
Unfortunately for Brest, the desire to leave number 20 last winter and this summer is fueling the rumor machine. Targeted during the winter transfer window by Stade Rennes, who had offered Ty Zefs a check for ten million euros, Lees-Melou could see himself leaving the city of Ponant despite the historic qualification for the Champions League. Member of the typical UNFP team of the season, the former Norwich player and godfather of Vrai Foot Day 2021 was not, however, the subject of many requests during this summer transfer window, his fairly serious injury having undoubtedly cooled potential courtiers. And then the Bretons, very light in this sector of the game, were not particularly sellers, unless an offer was above the market price (The Team spoke of an amount of at least twelve million euros to give Brest management pause). But only one offer, considered insufficient, would have arrived on the Pirates’ desk.
The vagueness surrounding the PLM situation is a reflection of the inconsistent start to the season of SB29, which is unable to navigate a sea of oil and which is throwing up storms all the time. This Tuesday in Salzburg, we don’t really know which Brest we will come across. On the one transcended by the little music of the Champions League like against Sturm Graz? Or the one who was crushed by Auxerre without reacting on Friday? While Roy would have threatened a reshuffle of his executives against the Red Bull subsidiary because of a catastrophic attitude, a good performance in C1 is necessary to avoid seeing the Bretons fall into a difficult season.
Salzburg Brest prediction: Analysis, odds and prediction for the Champions League poster
