Stade Rennais, which has not taken off since Jorge Sampaoli took office, is fighting to stay in Ligue 1. This is the reality of a team which, for the Argentinian, “must start to grow” and if possible win on Sunday against Angers to finish 2024 well in the French championship.
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Rennes must do better and if possible from Sunday, on the occasion of the crucial reception of an Angers also not at best because in 15th position with one point less. Defeated in Nantes during its last outing (1-0), the Breton club has not yet seen the light under the direction of Jorge Sampaoli, with the exception of the success obtained in numerical superiority against ASSE (5 -0) and the urgency is therefore very present in terms of points. “We must not escape our reality, that would be lying to ourselves and it can be difficult to accept this reality. Angers, yes, it’s a complicated and capital match against a team prepared to play for survival,” agreed the former Albiceleste coach this Friday at a press conference.
Players faced with their responsibilities
The one who promised not to be expelled again after his bloodshed in Nantes highlighted significant expectations towards a group which will have to show aggressiveness. “The team needs to start growing and we have insisted on improving our offensive game. We hope to be more competitive and individually, we need differences,” noted the Argentine technician. With this imbalance in mind, summer recruit Jota, who arrived from Al-Ittihad, is not yet in “full possession of his means” but will have to do the best he can, like his offensive teammates Ludovic Blas, Amine Gouiri and Albert Gronbaek, to relieve Rennes.
Putting the weight of coaches into perspective, Jorge Sampaoli insisted: “The role of a coach is overvalued because we depend enormously on these high-capacity players, and if they had made differences since the start of the Championship, I would no doubt not be not there and Stade Rennais would not be in this situation.”
Swiss
