Stade Rennais comes to the aid of Steve Mandanda

It was an evening of twists and turns that the Rennais experienced near Nice. Beaten by the Gym (3-2) on the occasion of this 16th day of Ligue 1, the Bretons once again leave with their heads down. They are 12th in the championship this evening, far from their evening opponent (10 points less). Seko Fofana, the new recruit, made his debut but it was Steve Mandanda's mistake in the first half on Nice's second goal that caught the attention of observers, even though his start to the match was encouraging.

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After an exchange with Faye, the goalkeeper was guilty of an error with a full-footed throw, which benefited Sofiane Diop. At the entrance to the area, the attacking midfielder just had to take his opponent on the wrong foot, to give his team the advantage again. This is obviously causing a lot of talk this evening, because it comes as he is being pushed out by his club, despite his status as captain. Brice Samba is even expected to replace him. At the moment, the transfer has not yet been concluded and seems more complicated than expected.

Sampaoli on Mandanda: “I understand his discomfort and I feel sorry for him»

We can then wonder if the former goalkeeper of the France team was able to play, he whose name has been circulating constantly in the press in recent days. “The situation is difficultrecognizes Sampaoli on DAZN. There is a lot of speculation. It's not easy for the player who has to play the match. He is a very experienced player, but also a human being who also suffers because there is a lot of talk about him in the press, the fact that he could leave the club. I understand his discomfort and I feel sorry for him today.»

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The Argentine coach makes amends, but he is partly responsible for this situation, just like Arnaud Pouille who is pushing behind the scenes to bring in Brice Samba in the middle of the season even if it means destabilizing his troops somewhat. While waiting for the possible arrival of the Lensois goalkeeper, the club must find a way to boost his morale. “Everyone is there for every player on this team. It’s football, it happens to everyone. It could be me in the next match. We must support each other», assures Ludovic Blas on DAZN.

Finally, if Steve Mandanda clearly did not have the match of his life, it is once again difficult not to highlight the weakness of the Rennes defense this evening and as often since the start of the season. Because beyond a new goalkeeper, it is undoubtedly a defender or two that we will have to recruit this winter to get back on track.