His arrival is eagerly awaited! “I think the arrival of Jorge Sampaoli is a good thing. We're going to have to energize all that and I think that's the character he's going to offer us.” said midfielder Baptiste Satamaria after the defeat against Toulouse this Sunday.
Free for a little over a year and his departure from Flamengo, Jorge Sampaoli is about to join Brittany until 2026. The former coach will make his return to the French championship, which he discovered during of his time at OM in 2021-2022.
But this time, a major challenge awaits him: setting the record straight at Stade Rennais. Here are the 5 projects of the native of Casilda.
Ensure maintenance and move up the rankings
Obviously one of his main missions is to avoid relegation with Rennes. Currently 13th with one point ahead of play-off Saint-Étienne, the Reds and Blacks are in a very bad dynamic.
4 defeats in the last 6 matches. The latest was 2-0 against Toulouse 24 hours ago. A match which Jorge Sampaoli also attended in the stands.
Accustomed to finishing at the top of the table and playing in Europe for several seasons, the Bretons are certainly far from their objectives. The mission promises to be tough for the 64-year-old man, but not impossible. Ludovic Blas hopes that things will get back to normal very quickly, as he said after the defeat this Sunday:
“We need to find a solution as quickly as possible.. A new coach arrives, hoping that it helps, that it restarts something. Hopefully it goes well. The most important thing is to question yourself, because even if the coach changes, the players remain the same. But no one gives up, it just hurts your heart.”
Regain the trust of supporters
Here too it is one of his obvious tasks, but which seems essential at the club. Stade Rennais needs its supporters so much. We particularly remember the 2022-2023 season where the Bretons finished 4th in the standings, but above all they were the second best team at home with 15 victories and 4 defeats in 19 matches.
This season, Rennes are in more difficulty at home, like the last 2-0 defeat against TFC. Whistles came down from the stands at Rhoazon Park and the kop even emptied ten minutes from the end of the match.
Despite everything, the club is 5th in the ranking for home matches with 3 wins, 1 draw and 2 defeats. The situation is, however, critical when we look at their away performances. Rennes have lost 4 times and drawn in 5 games. Next match for the latter on Sunday November 24 at LOSC.
The question of captaincy
Steve Mandanda Breton goalkeeper, has been the captain since the start of the season. But he seems in great difficulty like the rest of the team. This question will undoubtedly run through the head of Jorge Sampaoli, who knows the latter very well since his time at OM. The coach even decided to relegate him to the bench upon his arrival to make way for Pau Lopez. So will he do the same? To be continued…
Strengthen the defense
When nothing goes, nothing goes. Beyond this thirteenth place, the Bretons are one of the worst defenses in Ligue 1. 18 goals conceded in total since the start of the season including 6 in the last two matches. Far too much for a club with European ambitions. With his arrival, Sampaoli should undoubtedly rectify the situation. With Marseille, he finished the season with 38 goals conceded. The 3rd best record at the time.
The winter market
He's fast approaching. If Rennes lost a lot of players this summer, the club has on the other hand invested more than 70 million euros in the market. So far, it has not paid off, quite the contrary. The winter transfer window should provide other solutions for Jorge Sampaoli. The club is already on several tracks.
A big fan of Saint-Étienne, I still thrill every time I talk about the 2013 Coupe de la Ligue title. Remember… ASSE-RENNES final, we play the eighteenth minute. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, receives the ball on the left, crosses with the outside of his foot, and finds Brandao who puts the ball in the back of the net with the left. 1-0 for the Greens, the score remains that way. Enough for me to remember it like it was yesterday.
