The Eye of Goal! Football Club: Sampaoli, the polar opposite of Stéphan and Stade Rennais
Every month, find on SRO an eye on the news from Stade Rennais, deciphered by the But website! Football Club. For this new column, we will return to the transfer of power between Julien Stéphan and Jorge Sampaoli.
After a disastrous start to the season where Stade Rennais was only in 13th place in the rankings after 11 disputed days of the championship, the Rouge et Noir club decided to part ways during the international break in November with Julien Stéphan and appoint in his place Jorge Sampaoli, who has signed up until June 2026 with Rennes. A categorical change in coaching profile, which marks a turning point in the history of Stade Rennais.
Sampaoli, an unexpected but exciting choice
Stade Rennais being seen historically as a calm and composed club, the choice Jorge Sampaoli stands out and is the antithesis of what Rennes is used to. And for good reason, the former coach of Olympique de Marseille is a sulphurous, volcanic and crazy coach, we can say it. In Rennes, the Argentinian will bring madness, freshness and a new lease of life to a club that really needed it. Very close to his players and adept at managing emotion, Jorge Sampaoli is really the opposite of his predecessor, who seemed to have a certain distance with his players and was always measured in these emotions. The change of direction is therefore complete for the SRFC.
A typical system and team to find
Julien Stéphan's failure can be explained above all by the fact that he has never found the solution with this team since the start of the season. No typical team emerged and the now ex-Rennes coach changed his playing system several times without really finding the right one. From now on the captain of this ship, Jorge Sampaoli, who does not have a preferred system, will adapt to his squad to find the best formula and the system that will best suit his players. A hard worker, the 64-year-old technician took advantage of the international break to make videos and learn as much as possible about his players before developing his action plan.
Give confidence and soul to this team
As Jorge Sampaoli confided during his presentation to the press, his main missions will be to give confidence and a soul to this Rennes team, which has been sorely lacking since the start of the 2024-2025 financial year. “ The first objective is to perfectly know the team and the organization to put in place to have an identity, and for the team to regain confidence. (…) The priority is to be a team, and that it improves a lot to be competitive. » And if the former Chile coach succeeds, there is no doubt that the results will follow quickly and that Rennes will finally launch its season and manage to move up the rankings. Because the talent and potential are there.
By Fabien Chorlet
Find all the latest football news on the But website! Football Club.
