After Dunkerque-Caen this Monday, December 16, Ligue 2 will take a break of almost three weeks. This is therefore the opportunity to do FC Metz reportafter 16 days of the Championship: eight victories, five draws and three defeats and a third place (provisional) in the standings, four lengths behind the leader, Lorient FC and only two points behind Paris FC, second before the winter break.
Seen from “here”, the good points and disappointments of France Bleu Lorraine
Among the positive points in Metz: even if it suffered last Saturday in Annecy (0-0), the club at the Croix de Lorraine is undefeated for seven matchesall competitions combined and he did not lose a single match at St Symphorien since the start of the season (five wins and three draws). Despite some mistakes at the start of the season, the Moselle defense pulled itself togetherin recent weeks and she has become one of the best in the championshiptied with that of Paris FC (13 goals conceded).
Among the negative points: these three largely avoidable defeats at Troyes (2-1), Grenoble (2-0) and Red Star (1-0), and this attack which has been struggling in the championship for several weeks : it’s only the seventh in L2 (24 goals, including only 6 scored since the 10th day)!
That’s it for the statistics, now for the words of the actors…
For the Metz coach, Stéphane Le Mignanarrived during the off-season, the very defensive Laslo Bölöni, FC Metz is still in the race to climb back into L1 and that is the most important thing: ” we are on time and we are almost at the same pace as the teams in front of us and in terms of the content of the game, we can do better and we have the potential to go even further […] the second part of the championship is going to be a great battle ! “
For the experienced FC Metz midfielder, Benjamin Stambouliin this first part of the season, the Garnets could have done better on the road: ” what is a negative is certain performances away from home like at Red Star or even at Clermont, afterwards, we have rectified the situation and we are in the right car and I think that we can have great ambitions on the return phase “.
The tops and the flops!
Surprise recruit and flagship of the last summer transfer window, Gauthier Heinwas up to the task of this first part of the season, with five goals scored and a great influence on the Metz game, but, given his talent and his exploits last season with AJ Auxerre, the Thionvillois can bring even more to the Moselle collective!
Other summer recruits, Jessy Deminguet et Benjamin Stambouli were two driving forces behind this good start in Metz.
Special mention for the Lorraine defensive line: captain Matthieu Udol in the lead, the experienced Ismaël Traoré, the returning Koffi Kouao, and the promising Sadibou Sané and Abou Lô, did not disappoint during these first four months of competition.
After an unprecedented replacement in the heart of the Metz attack and eight registered, the Senegalese Cheick Tidiane Sabalywas one of the revelations of the start of the Metz season, but since last October, the former resident of Génération Foot has also remained silent.
On the other hand, this first part of the season was more difficult to live with, at times, for the goalkeeper Alex Oukidjaauthor of two big blunders in Grenoble and Red Star, for the defender Maxime Colinand the attacker Simon Elisoroften injured and lacking in confidence! As for Fali Candeindisputable holder in Ligue 2, two seasons ago, he disappeared from the radar screens!
- Don’t miss this Friday the last match of 2024, in the Coupe de France, in Troyes!
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