SM Caen saved a point at the last second, Friday November 22 against Rodez (3-3). He owes it to Daylam Meddah and his ability to not give up, after a very uneven match in content.
Nicolas Seube (SM Caen coach): “This match shows our mental values, on the fact of having come back to score three times. We knew the opponent was capable of scoring at any time but also capable of opening up. The score reflects the qualities and faults of each person. We are sorely lacking in success, it's been two matches that the posts have failed us and perhaps the outcome of the match would have been different with this efficiency on display.
Now, we must progress in the defensive area. We concede too many goals at home. Of the three goals, there are two which appear largely avoidable. On the first, it's an error in vision of the game. On the second, it's a twist of fate on a game of billiards, a clearance on a partner who comes back on the attacker… We still have everything against us . I found that we produced some play, especially in the first half. We managed to win the match but we were sorely lacking in verticality. There was too much play on the feet, we advantaged the opposing pressure.
Verticality is Rodez’s project. He had been identified. They have two attackers who stay very high up the pitch, who are almost not concerned with defensive tasks. As soon as they have a situation, they play forward on their attackers who are quite effective in this area. There should have been better management of these situations.
The values displayed are a sign of positive things, whatever anyone says. A few weeks ago, this match, we would not have managed to reverse the trend, being down by two goals. Rodez's third goal also gives us a headache in the storyline. We manage to come back to the score very early in the second half, we have the feeling that we are psychologically gaining ground on the opponent. We even have a situation that needs to be played better just after our second goal. Sometimes there is always a foot, a hand that counters. The positive point was to come back to the score at the end of the match.
There is still the will to never give up. We also came across an opponent who is on a seven-game unbeaten streak and who is difficult to maneuver around. It was a big battle, it’s a team that runs a lot. We are the ones who give away the match due to technical errors which put the team in the wrong direction. I think we abused the back and support play in the first half.
I'm frustrated for Alex (Mendy). He plays actions well but he really lacks success. You can imagine, if these actions had ended in a goal, we would have won in Metz and against Rodez. We would have five more points and we would perhaps be sixth or seventh. We can't blame Alex (Mendy) for not doing the right thing. We would have liked to have had a little more success. That’s how it is, you have to keep working. I think the team is in the right direction, we are showing good things. But as long as it doesn't show in terms of points, we will always be subject to negative criticism. »
Didier Santini (Rodez coach): “We haven’t seen a great Rodez. At times, we had the funometer at zero. At times, we were too easy. We did not stick to our principles, in our forward play. It was not exceptional this evening (Friday). »
