Thibaut Simon, Media365, published on Sunday January 5, 2025 at 10:04 a.m.
For the first of Eirik Horneland on the Greens bench, Saint-Etienne won its first match since the 12th day against Montpellier. The Norwegian coach was delighted with the performance of his players.
The revival of the Greens may have arrived and its name is Eirik Horneland. After the goal conceded in the first half, Saint-Etienne turned the match around thanks to Boakye's double (50th, 57th) and Stassin's superb goal, dribbling past a player and taking a little dive on Diouf in the area. This success allows the Greens to take a breather in the standings with 16 points, three lengths ahead of play-off Angers, which hosts Brest this Sunday January 5. For the new Greens coach, the performance achieved by his players is fantastic.
Conviction, discipline, the Horneland method is already bearing fruit?
We do not know if the Stéphanois will achieve the same performances in the long term and if their new coach will have the hoped-for impact. One thing is certain, Eirik Horneland offered an enjoyable game. Establishing Lucas Stassin at the forefront of the attack and taking advantage of the returns from injury of Mickael Nade and Augustine Boakye, Saint-Etienne was impactful. For the Norwegian technician, the state of mind displayed was very good. “This week, we worked on possession, on attitude, habits to adopt with the objective of creating positive moments by overcoming difficult moments, too, but in the end it’s fantastic, very beautiful.” Horneland explained at a press conference. Beyond the result, the Stéphanois played well, creating many positive situations. “We are very happy with this reaction. The style of play is important. I was happy to see that the players were relaxed on the pitch.” added the Greens coach. After a series of four defeats, ASSE stops this negative spiral and can now focus on its next match with a trip to the Parc des Princes.
Elsner in doubt
On the Reims side, the evening was not experienced in the same way, especially for coach Luka Elsner. 10th in Ligue 1, Stade de Reims has just gone a fifth match without a win (three draws and two defeats). The victory at Mutzig in the Coupe de France did not provide the necessary impetus for Rémois to obtain a good result at Geoffroy-Guichard. Elsner took advantage of the post-match to alert people to the situation. “We have the impression that our twenty points are a security. We now find ourselves very close to the teams who are fighting at the bottom. We will have to put forward other arguments.” he explained. Failures and a team not up to the task, Reims must remobilize. The Nice reception next day will be eagerly awaited at Auguste-Delaune.
