Stuck at the bottom of the standings, Stade Rennais is taking on Jorge Sampaoli to bounce back. A surprising marriage which did not please Rolland Courbis. The latter does not see what the Argentinian can bring to Rennes.
A solid but fairly polite club, Stade Rennais will soon taste the Sampaoli madness. The fiery Argentinian became the coach of the Bretons this week, replacing Julien Stéphan after the very poor start to the Rennes season. Rennes is currently 13th with only one point ahead of play-off Saint-Etienne. The marriage between the Breton club and Jorge Sampaoli promises enormously. In terms of play, the Argentinian has often achieved great things like at OM in 2021-2022. In terms of character, Sampaoli is not the type to hide his emotions, on or off the field.
Sampaoli equal to Stéphan?
Enough to promise a big upheaval in Rennes, both positive and negative. An opinion shared by many observers but not by Rolland Courbis. Former coach of Rennes, OM and Bordeaux, the consultant believes that Sampaoli will have a hard time putting his ideas into place. Despite a very different approach from that of Stéphan, Sampaoli risks stumbling upon Rennes' main problem this season: a poorly constructed and not competitive enough squad.
« We will still see what he will be able to do with all the recruits arriving this summer. For the moment, I'm trying to judge the level of this team, but I can't. I'm still waiting to see. There, I see two or three players capable of being interesting, but I see all the others very average. I don't see any complementarity between them. By recruiting so many players in the offseason, most of them foreigners, it should come as no surprise that it doesn't work. The most surprising thing would ultimately have been if it worked. There is enough money in Rennes to recruit two or three important players in the winter. We'll know better later. […] But, as it stands, I don't see what miracle Sampaoli can succeed with the same squad as Julien Stéphan this season », he analyzed at But Football Club.
Suffice to say that Rennes will have to invest in the winter transfer window to help the demanding Jorge Sampaoli succeed in his mission. Frustrated by recruitment when he coached OM, the Argentinian will have better opportunities in Brittany. Between the money recovered from summer sales and the financial power of the Pinault family, Stade Rennais has the means to make a real revolution guided by Jorge Sampaoli.
