Before its success at Reims (1-2), last Saturday, the first away from home in the league this season, Stade Brestois was the Ligue 1 club displaying the largest gap between its points taken at home and those gleaned at home. the exterior. A statistic which, more generally, illustrates how solid the Finistère club has been at home since the arrival of Éric Roy, in January 2023. In 33 championship matches played in their lair of Le Blé over the period, the men of “King Éric” were only beaten six times. And only by big teams (Paris and Monaco twice, Rennes and Marseille).
“Wheat, a small fortress”
In the current calendar year, Brest is even the second most effective Ligue 1 team at home. With 26 points taken since January 1, they are on par with Monaco, ahead of PSG, reigning French champion (23), and are only ahead of Lille (27). “Le Blé is a small fortress,” summarizes midfielder Hugo Magnetti, at the club since 2017, for whom “it’s always special for other teams to come and play here because it’s a somewhat atypical stadium.” . The supporters are close to the pitch, it can be destabilizing. This creates an osmosis that allows us to increase intensity and thwart our opponents.”
The public, a role in its own right
In a venue with one of the highest occupancy rates in Ligue 1 (96.2%), where sold-out matches have become commonplace, Brest residents can also count on supporters “who support us that we win or lose,” continues Magnetti. If he also emphasizes the contribution of the public “in good times and in bad times”, as he was able to experience when he arrived, Éric Roy recalls the importance of starting a match well, which his players do Alright. “When we get off to a good start, we are more likely to bring the public with us, to have this fervor, and in particular, here at Le Blé, a small stadium with an audience very close to the pitch.” With 51.5% wins, 30.3% draws and only 18.2% defeats in the league at Francis-Le Blé since his arrival, his record speaks for itself.
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