Larsonneur, Davitashvili, Batubinsika, Appiah, Sissoko, Pétrot… There are many AS players Saint-Étienne which recently evolved into Ligue 2 and who play a major role in keeping the Greens in the elite! Indeed, even if certain summer recruits from elsewhere have taken a preponderant place in the Saint-Etienne squad, it must be recognized that many elements who played in the division below the Ligue 1 in 2024 are popular in Olivier Dall'Oglio's groups. Some even though they were leaving late before the start of the season.
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Questioned by us, our colleague from the EVECT site Joris Saby gave us his feelings on the progress of several members of the Loire squad, with some surprises who had no or no more playing time at ASSE over the last months in Ligue 2 who have recently become fairly regular members of the starting eleven.
The rather unexpected safe bet: Léo Pétrot (688 minutes)
“There are players who have adapted really well to the level of Ligue 1. One of the examples is Léo Pétrot about whom some had some doubts as to his real level in the elite. And in the end, he completely established himself on the left. He had already played at this level with Lorient, but with his operation this summer and the delay, it could have been complicated for him. Like his career, we cannot say that he was above the others but each time, he always held on with an impeccable state of mind. He is a soldier, a worker, he succeeds because he puts a lot of will into it. Some people have skills in football, I'm not convinced that he has many skills but I see that he works hard and that he reaps the rewards. »
Davitashvili and Larsonneur: the two most used men after 12 days
“There was a need for time to adapt for everyone. Zuriko Davitashvili has been very good overall recently, but I remember his first three and four matches… I didn't find it exceptional. Larsonneur, the same, I did not find him free from all reproaches, particularly regarding the beatings received in Brest or Nice. But apart from his ball which had no consequences against OL, he made decisive saves which kept us in our recent matches (Lyon, Montpellier…) and which saved us. »
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A Bouchouari who questioned himself (373 minutes, 1 goal)
« For Benjamin Bouchouari, I find that it is different since we did not really doubt the fact that he had more of the technical level for Ligue 1 than for Ligue 2. With him, we rather underline an evolution in his way of play. He no longer played under Olivier Dall'Oglio because he didn't defend enough. He recognized it himself and had a realization, he started to change the way he plays and therefore returned in the good graces of the coach. But I don't even think that the difference in level had an impact, rather he changed in his mentality and in his football. »
Louis Mouton or the beneficial loan (353 minutes)
“Louis Mouton, for his part, was loaned for a whole season to Pau in Ligue 2 last year (27 matches, editor's note). This summer, he did very well in preparation but it must be admitted, he was not normally part of the plans to be a starter. Finally, he went to find his place! He shows that he is not a bad player in Ligue 1, far from it. This is the typical example of successful loans. He has logged more minutes of play at Pau than anyone else in his position at Saint-Étienne in 2023-2024 among the youngsters and when he returns, we see that he is ready. Without being an indisputable starter, he was able to find a place for himself. »
The Mathis Amougou revelation (657 minutes)
“Even though he played very little in Ligue 2 last year, we knew that Amougou was a player who would flourish among the pros in Sainté. In that sense, we're not surprised, but it's true that everything is going very quickly for him. Playing the first eight days of Ligue 1 as a starter is a lot for a 17-year-old player. »
Photo Loic Baratoux/FEP/Icon Sport
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