Two weeks after hitting rock bottom, AS Saint-Étienne got out of the relegation zone. Montpellier and its crumbly defense are paying the price. Toulouse and Le Havre are standing still… Just like Rennes who must start to worry after seven days of Ligue 1.
Also read >> Ligue 2 – Attendances for the 8th day
Saint-Étienne turns green again, Auxerre too naive
If the goal difference of AS Saint-Étienne (-12) still bears the scars of the rout of Nice (0-8) two weeks ago, things are going much better in the general ranking for the Greens who are doing well up four places after their victory against Auxerre (3-1) on Saturday. Thanks to a great Zuriko Davitashvili, author of a hat-trick, the Greens fend off the prospect of a crisis for Olivier Dall’Oglio, at a time of year when places on the benches are becoming precarious. “ We played big tonight », Confided the ASSE coach after the match, referring to his team, but perhaps also to his staff.
Among the four teams overtaken by ASSE, Auxerre, the opponent this weekend, which plunged again after the start against Brest (3-0). With four defeats in five days, the Burgundians, reigning Ligue 2 champions, are struggling to put themselves in the shoes of the team that is suffering. After the match at Geoffroy-Guichard, coach Christophe Pélissier deplored his team’s inability to manage Saint-Etienne’s transitions and counter pivot Ibrahim Sissoko. The injury during the warm-up of the defense boss, the Brazilian Jubal, did not help.
Toulouse and Le Havre keep the faith but leave the points
After the defeat in Brest (0-2), Didier Digard, HAC coach, did not hesitate to affirm that his team had been the best. He was not contradicted by his opponent and counterpart Éric Roy who admitted “ sincerely in difficulty “. Problem, the HAC concedes its fourth defeat in a row and is only one point ahead of the play-off, Toulouse. Before receiving an Olympique Lyonnais in good form at the start of the school year.
It’s almost the same observation for Toulouse, author of an honest performance against Lille (1-2) but who concedes a third defeat in a row. Like his Le Havre counterpart, Carles Martinez Novell considered himself unlucky with the refereeing on the seventh day and wishes to persevere with the current style. Will he have time when Toulouse is 16th and a barrage this Monday?
State of emergency for Montpellier
The heavy defeat at the start of the season against Paris Saint-Germain (0-6) was undoubtedly not an epiphenomenon for Montpellier. The Hérault defense has been generally irrelevant since the start of the season. 21 goals conceded, or three per match on average, and the “open house” operation continued in Reims (2-4). Furious, at a press conference, Michel Der Zakarian let out a few curses after questioning not the ability of his players to defend but their desire to do so. After the break, the MHSC will travel to Marseille, a team that has certainly been irregular lately but whose offensive potential represents quite a test for the Montpellier rearguard.
Angers is grabbing
Marseille, the Angers team is just coming back from it. The SCO reported the draw point (1-1) at the Stade Vélodrome on Friday. Alexandre Dujeux’s men were content with 24% possession of the ball to defeat OM. The last club not to have had the slightest victory this season, Angers remains at the bottom. Two points from the play-off place, the promoted team has only lost once in four days… before traveling to Toulouse on October 20 to launch its race towards maintenance.
Be careful in Rennes…
Beaten at home by Monaco (1-2), Stade Rennais no longer really has a margin in the last third of the standings. The Rouge et Noir, whose squad experienced a revolution this summer, have not yet found the right fuel and the void left by Benjamin Bourigeaud is unsurprisingly felt. During the week, the SRFC changed president, Arnaud Pouille succeeding Olivier Cloarec. This would almost seem like a crisis…
The Ligue 1 ranking:
12. Rennes: 7 pts (0)
13. ASSE : 7 pts (-12)
14. Auxerre: 6 pts (-6)
15. Le Havre: 6 pts (-8)
16. Toulouse : 5 pts (-4)
17. Montpellier : 4 pts (-13)
18. Angers : 3 pts (-8)
Photo ©Philippe Lecoeur/FEP/Icon Sport
