Stade Rennais – Le Havre: the end of 3-4-3 for Stéphan?
After a draw in Brest following a change of system, will Julien Stéphan return to a system with 4 defenders?
There are points snatched away which can be appreciated as victories, however it is impossible to classify in this category the first point taken by the SRFC away from its stadium this season, after 8 days. Before Jota’s equalizing goal scored in the 86th minute, it was difficult to forget 70 to 75 indigestible minutes from Stade Rennes.
During three quarters of the meeting, the SRFC once again never managed to make it clear in which direction it was going, in this system, with this animation. Players on the back foot, use of the ball close to nothing offensively, the 3-4-3 has once again aroused criticism, around a team which for several weeks seems to be playing not to lose, more than to win.
Thoughts ahead
When Rennes’ backs were against the wall and Julien Stéphan made last-ditch changes, breaking the team’s defensive balance in favor of a deliberately more offensive game, Rennes scored. But above all, Rennes found a new energy, creativity, lightness, something we hadn’t seen for a while with this team. This coincided with a resolutely forward-looking eleven, with Jota, Gomez, Gronbaek, and Blas moving down to the middle to provide technical quality.
“You will allow me to analyze things carefully, review the match, take all the elements that will allow me to make the best decision for the next meeting”, reacted Julien Stéphan. “It’s certain that if we get used to the second part of the match, we will say to ourselves “we have to change”. But it was a second part of the match, with spaces, a dynamic that changed, an opponent who perhaps cowered, it’s the story of a match. The history of this match wants us to say that perhaps it allowed us to reinject more dynamism and possibilities; I have it in mind and we are going to have discussions and reflection with the staff, all together, which we will carry out for the next meeting.”
Moving forward
In the mixed zone, Alidu Seidu also noticed the improvement in the game when the team moved to four behind. Arnaud Kalimuendo referred to a genesisic speech. “It’s a question of animation, of availability. We changed the system and obviously that meant that there was a small change, but the players who came in contributed through their availability. These are positive things that we must learn from today. »
The animation and not the system… but the system, nonetheless. How not to see the “click” expected by Stéphan, in this change having led to a game more faithful to the SRFC of recent years? Can Stade Rennes succeed in the long term with a game focused on defensive solidity more than on offensive ambition?
As before this meeting, there is urgency for this SRFC 13th in the ranking, advancing at a rate of one point per match, far from the dynamic of a club aiming for Europe. And to get back to the top of the rankings, it is perhaps time for change for Rennes, who after two months of competition must definitely move forward.
