Stade Rennais – Saint-Etienne: For Sampaoli, premium on aggressiveness
At the same time as he passed a few messages during his press conference, Jorge Sampaoli gave the priority axis on which he expects his players against Saint-Étienne.
We will not know the conclusions of the audit carried out by Arnaud Pouille and led by Grégory Dupont, delivered two weeks ago, but Jorge Sampaoli hesitates less when giving the results of his diagnosis, even if it does not is not finished. After three weeks of training and a first match, the Argentinian did not hesitate to point out what was wrong with his squad.
“No player who can make the difference”no “offensive leader” neither (and in particular not Gouiri), players not up to the level of the video analysis done upstream… The technician's grievances are numerous and he did not hesitate to list them on request, while Rennes is on the verge of the red zone.
Responsibility and aggressiveness
It is an opponent normally well within the reach of Stade Rennes, but after 13 days it has been playing in its championship for longer than SRFC. While Rennes fell in the rankings and in expectations, Saint-Etienne has been holding on since the first day and arrives in a different state of mind.
“Rennes was not used to this position. We are going to face teams who are used to it and know how to play this type of match”confides Sampaoli. “We must face this with responsibility and aggressiveness, working in continuity. It's a psychological struggle. We are going to play against Saint-Etienne who knows how to play this kind of match.”
The coach has repeatedly emphasized the importance of the team's organization but also its state of mind. While refusing to clearly state that his team is playing to maintain. “The next matches will tell. It's true that the state of form is currently quite fragile. Given this situation, I want to favor aggressive players, who have a lot of energy. Whereas I might not have made these choices in another context. It takes a lot of energy to save the club, for the good of Stade Rennes.”
Make way for the rebels
When analyzing the shortcomings of his group, Sampaoli did not hide his disappointment at finding players below expectations. And placed his own. “Today we favor players who will give everything. We are not going to negotiate this. You need players capable of rebelling. We are all involved in a difficult process, to which Stade Rennes is not accustomed. We want to quickly get out of this situation”.
Leo Ostigard present on Thursday received the message, he who missed the start of the season but seems more in tune with his trainer than with the previous one. “He is clear in what he wants. If you do the work, you can play. Otherwise, you will have problems. You have to follow, he is the coach, you have to do what he says. For me, the most important thing right now is energy. We have to put more energy and in the first match against Lille in the locker room we felt more energy from the players, from the coach. This is very important in a situation like this. Don't fall and start crying. We have to get up and face reality”. That of a team which is currently playing to maintain itself.
