Lille – Stade Rennais: Between Genesio and Sampaoli, Rennes in search of playing identity
Faced with a coach who gave him his best years in terms of play, Stade Rennes presents itself in search of an identity, an idea of play that Jorge Sampaoli wants to be a religion for his players.
We don't know much about what Jorge Sampaoli wants to do with this Stade Rennes, but we can say that we can't wait to see the Argentinian at work. Now at the helm of a workforce in ruins, with confidence at its lowest, and having deployed one of the worst games of the recent era for Rennes, the coach has not revealed his plans, even if he will first have to save the furniture.
Most of the internationals returned in the middle or even at the end of the week, the Thursday session not having taken place on the field due to snow, several players were not “diagnosed” by their new coach. Sampaoli faces a formidable Lille before a block deemed more affordable: Saint-Etienne, Nantes and Angers. Four matches which should help him see things more clearly, particularly with regard to his recommendations for the winter transfer window.
First identity: security
In the meantime, facing the Mastiffs who are unleashed in the Champions League and well established in Ligue 1, the instructions seem to be given to ” control “has “the organization”, “to avoid suffering counterattacks from adversaries”. If the coach wishes to instill a “collective idea”a « culture » to the point of making one « religion »the plan seems to be to initially defend well. Being in the “security”as he expressed it during his presentation.
“We want the players to bring their creativity when we have the ball. But when we don't have it, these players also have defensive responsibilities. Then, limiting the creativity of players is really not my credo. I really want to prepare them to be creative, but sometimes we also prepare repetitive patterns. During the match they will have freedom,” he confided on Friday. The Rennais would therefore have rehearsed some routines this week, with a view to reassuring themselves, and regaining the confidence that emanated from Stade Rennes two years ago, with another technician at the helm.
Genesio, room for nostalgia
It seems so far away from the time when Stade Rennais vintage 2021-2022 deployed an offensive, exhilarating game, attracting the eyes of all of France, and put in place by Bruno Genesio. The coach now at Lille will return for the first time to his former club, which he left a year ago without explanations, explanations which he once again refused to give on Friday. To divert the subject, the former OL opted for a laudatory statement, probably sincere, and necessarily nostalgic, for him as for the Rennais.
“I think it's in my career as a coach, I think there were two seasons where I really took a lot, maybe the most, pleasure in leading a team, which was inclined towards the offensive, scored a lot of goals, created a lot of emotions and play, and emotions shared with everyone at the club. All supporters »confides Genesio. “That’s what I especially want to remember. A passage which marked me, with remarkable encounters, and once again I tell you, a team which really corresponds to me in what I expect from the team which I coach in today's football” .
Destiny is sometimes a joker. At a time when Stade Rennes is looking for a playing identity, here it is facing the coach having had the best of recent years, perhaps of history.
