Mensah’s Ghana and M’Bia’s Cameroon are amongst the favourites to get to the final…
Perhaps Rennes will have a winner and a finalist!

Ghana : John Mensah, Defender, Capitain, 25 (29-11-1982)

John Mensah is an integral part of the Ghanaian side that has cruised to the quater-finals of their ACN almost effortlessly. Ghana will continue their road to Accra with a game in the quater-finals against Nigeria, second in group B behind Ivory Coast. So far, Mensah has been almost perfect, as captain of the home side that have won all their games so far (albeit not always convincingly), and as a central part of the best defence of the tournament (well, tied best with Nigeria and Ivory Coast).

So far, John hasn’t missed a single minute of action for Ghana, and has been in very good form, even if Ghana haven’t proved as impressive as some expected, winning two of their three games so far by a one-goal margin (2-1 against Guinea, 1-0 against Namibia, 2-0 against Morocco). But Ghana seem to be fuelled by the spirit of their main midfielder, Michael Essien, who seems have brought a bit of “Chelsea” with him. They don’t always play beautifully, but so far, they score one more than their opponent.

Ghana aren’t hot favourites to win the final in Accra, but with Essien and Muntari in midfield, Sarpei, Addo, Pantsil and Mensah in defence, Kingson in goal and Gyan in attack, they’re one of the most complete sides in the ACN, both offensively and defensively. However, they have found it hard in front of goal so far, and have had to rely on their midfield to provide match-clintching goals. Mensah’s captaincy has the difficult task of keeping the ACN in Ghana for 2 years, and win a trophy that has eluded the 4-times ACN winners since a quarter of a century, when they beat Libya in the 1982 finals. Born almost 9 months after the final win, perhaps Mensah is meant to lift up the trophy in Accra…

Good luck, John!

Cameroon : Stéphane M’Bia, Midfielder, 21 (20-05-1986)

Cameroon have had a rocky ACN so far, losing their opening game in a poor display against reigning champions Egypt (4-2), before hitting form (and five goals) when they faced Zambia (5-1). M’Bia has only had a small role to play, featuring alongside Makoun in a catastrophic first-half display by Cameroon against Egypt. Cameroon haven’t seemed unbeatable, but the game against Sudan should be nothing more than a formality, Sudan still looking for their first point and their first goal. The only way Cameroon could avoid the quarter-finals is if they get fewer points against Sudan than Zambia get against Egypt. Almost impossible.

M’Bia hasn’t featured in both of Cameroon’s games in this ACN, and only a very little is worth remembering. Against Egypt the whole Cameroonian side put in a poor display, but where the battle was lost was in central midfield. Makoun and M’Bia were outplayed by the more technical Egyptian midfielders, and resorted to playing long balls forwards hoping to find Eto’o, without success. He and Makoun didn’t take part in the second half, where Cameroon looked better, scoring twice and conceding only once. M’Bia wasn’t even back against Zambia, and had to watch from the sidelines as Mbami, Emana and Song put in good performances in a Cameroonian side that raised its playing level as a whole .

Eto’o is undoubtedly the heart of Cameroon, and there’s a lot of expectation on Eto’o to get Cameroon to win. Thanks to his presence, Cameroon are only one goal behind Ivory Coast (and Drogba) in the goalscoring charts, even though they have a game in hand. With 7 goals in 2 games, Cameroon are prolific in attack, and Job and Idrissou will have to battle it out over this ACN to replace usual frontman Webo alongside Eto’o. With Kameni in goal, Song and Geremi in defence, Cameroon are decently equipped to face attacking opponents, but Egypt proved just how weak Cameroon are on a bad day. In fact, Cameroon’s main problem is that they have a lot of good defensive midfielders, but too few creative players to provide Eto’o with the space he needs to shine. M’Bia will have to face off Song, Makoun, Emana and Mbami if he wants to feature later on in the competition. However, he didn’t shine against Egypt but wasn’t as dissapointing as Makoun, leaving him a chance to redeem himself as a substitute.

Good luck, Stéphane!

And I’ll finish off with a short thought for Rennes’ reserve player Achille Rachid Rouga, who went to Ghana to represent Benin for their second ever ACN (the first was in 2004). Benin only slightly improved on their previous record (conceded one goal less, still looking for their first point in the ACN, eliminated at the group stage), and Rouga didn’t feature in any of Benin’s games, meaning he’s still looking for his first full international cap. But I bet it was a great experience for the young player to live such a great competition and wear his country’s colours!

Hope you’ll soon make us proud at Rennes too, Achille!

From brothers to injuries, through Guy and the ANC… Rennes vs. Marseille was full of useless trivia.

Brotherly love :

Bruno Cheyrou started for Rennes, playing against his younger brother Benoît Cheyrou. Whilst Bruno was infamously dubbed the “New Zidane” by Houllier upon signing with Liverpool in 2002, Benoît has kept a lower profile, playing only in France so far.

They used to be heroes :

Jérôme Leroy, Bruno Cheyrou and Mickaël Pagis all played for Marseille before joining Rennes. Leroy joined from arch-rivals Paris SG in 1999, only to be sold back to Paris in 2002, without knowing much success with Marseille. Last season he was instrumental in Sochaux’s win over Marseille in the 2007 Coupe de France final, securing him a lot of resent in the hearts of many Marseille fans. Cheyrou was loaned to Marseille by Liverpool for the 2004/05 season, but a transfer never materialised. Pagis only had a short stint with Marseille from January 2006 to June 2007, and despite two French Cup finals and a 2nd place with Marseille last season, he lost his position in the starting XI and chose to leave last summer.

Marseille didn’t field any homecomers, since Jacques Faty was injured. He was in the stands though, so that’s like a semi-comeback…

Who’s that Guy?

Guy Lacombe isn’t unknown by Marseille fans. Apart from having committed the “sin” of managing Paris SG, he also lead said team to a Coupe de France final win over Marseille in 2006 : 2-1, goals for Paris SG by Bonaventure Kalou and Vikash Dhorasoo, goal for Marseille by Toifilou Maoulida. Mickaël Pagis started for Marseille, but only played 38 minutes before being replaced by Wilson Oruma. Lorik Cana played the whole game against his old club and his future team-mate M’Bami.

Different starts :

Fabien Lemoine made his Ligue 1 début for Rennes, and had a good game. He assisted Pagis to level the scores, and his tireless running was useful for breaking down Marseille and putting pressure on players like Nasri, Valbuena and Akalé. However, he didn’t manage to participate in Rennes’ romp as he was replaced by Thomert with 15 minutes left to play.

Marseille had three debuts againts Rennes, and not two of them were alike! Kanga Akalé celebrated his arrival in the south of France and reminded everyone that he was perhaps why people though Cissé would be one of the best French strikers ever when he played for Auxerre, with tireless running and good crossing that lead to a great assist for Cisssé’s opening goal. Juan Angel Krupoviesa seemed less inspired on his debut, but was solid defensively. However, he was the maker of Marseille’s defeat by recieving a red card that left his team at 10 against 11 for the last 20 minutes. Pape M’Bow also made his debut for Marseille, but was unable to change much as Rennes piled on the pressure. He replaced Valbuena to help the back line, and did decently, but couldn’t shine as Marseille crumbled collectively.

A New Challenge : ANC.

With the ANC, both sides lost a few African players. John Mensah was on duty with Ghana, and therefore missed his first Rennes-Marseille in Rennes… His absence was felt strongly, even though Cheyrou filled in decently alongside Hansson. Stéphane M’Bia’s absence wasn’t as harsh, since the midfield was strong enough to put Didot on the bench. But still, he’s a useful versatile player that was used in defence in case of injury… So without Mensah and M’Bia, thank God Cheyrou has proved to be a good defender!

I wonder how Eric Gerets reacted when he learnt who was leaving for the ANC. The main problem he faced was the loss of top striker Mahamadou Niang. The powerful senegalese striker was one of the few players that didn’t dissapoint so far for Marseille, and with 10 league goals, he’s by far the most efficient striker at the club. What’s more, he has a very good understanding with Nasri, Valbuena and Cissé, meaning he was often crucial to Marseille’s attacks, even when he didn’t score. Modeste M’Bami might not be the most modest player Marseille have on their ranks, nor the best. But he’s a useful player that Gerets might have wanted to have on the bench when Krupoviesa was sent off. However, he was perhaps watching the match with M’Bia as they took a break in training for Cameroon. Now, Kruopoviesa… Who was he brought in for? Well, he’s meant to be back-up/competition for Nigerian Taye Taïwo, who hasn’t been perfect so far. But with the mistake Krupoviesa made and the possible suspension he’ll recieve, Gerets would like Taïwo to be availible, I’m sure. The last player missing for Marseille is the young André “Dédé” Ayew, son of Ghanaian legend Abédi Pélé. He wasn’t missed as much though, with Akalé on fire and good but not stellar performances so far. The only good news for Marseille is that since Algeria didn’t qualify, Karim Ziani is still availible. However, with poor performances so far, it’s not that surprising that Gerets didn’t even have him on the bench against Rennes.

Injured much?

Barcelona are bemoaning their injury list, but Marseille could too… They had so many injured defenders that they had decided to line up youngster N’Diaye, who then proceeded to quickly injure himself on the Friday afternoon training session. It’s only a slight knock, so he still played, but at half-time he was replaced by the convalescent Julien Rodriguez. Apart from those two, Marseille had Faty, Carasso, Zubar, Hamel and Ziani who were more or less injured. Hamel and Zubar stayed in Marseille, but Faty and Ziani came to Rennes only to watch from the stands as their side lost… That’s 7 injured players : the number one and a half (can he get his starting place back from Mandanda?), the fourth goalkeeper (you need one when one of the first three is -always- injured), four defenders, and the second-biggest buy they made this summer.

Rennes were far better off, with -only- 4 injured players… Edman left Echiejile as the lone left-back, Marveaux missed out on an appearance in a pretty innovative midfield line-up, young striker Esteban is still out since he scored his début goal, and Kembo-Ekoko is also out of action for a few weeks with a knock. Luckily for Rennes, only Edman is a regular first-team player, and Esteban and Kembo-Ekoko are more third choice strikers than even bench players for the moment. Marveaux is usually on the bench, but his absence didn’t bother Lacombe much, since Lemoine has pushed Didot on the bench.

Anything else I missed out? Share it with us!

Friends became foes : Pagis and Givet fight it out in the air.

Both sides started out with line-ups that wouldn’t have been expected a little over a month ago… Marseille, 10th, were starting both winter signings, Akalé and Krupoviesa, and young N’Diaye was starting in a very diminished defensive line that’s lacking quite a few players out with knocks. Other than that, no real surprises, with Cissé, Nasri, Valbuena, Cana, Givet and Mandanda in the side. Rennes had a less strange line-up, with Echiejile filling in at left-back, Cheyrou starting as a central defender and Lemoine in central midfield as the only rare occurences.

Marseille


Mandanda
Bonnart – N’Diaye – Givet – Krupoviesa
Cana – Cheyrou
Valbuena – Nasri – Akalé
Cissé


Briand – Pagis
Wiltord – Leroy
Sorlin – Lemoine
Echiejile – Cheyrou – Hansson – Fanni
Pouplin


Rennes

Marseille started strong, with Akalé proving to be quality down the left flank. The first twenty minutes showed a great deal of potential, and Anigo might just have been saved having his face punched in by an annoyed Gerets… However, the main threat I was looking out for was wonderkid Nasri. He’s on par with Ben Arfa and Benzema as one of the best young talents in Ligue 1, and the opening stages of the game saw him strut his stuff down the center of the park almost effortlessly. Valbuena’s tireless running on the left wing, as well as Cana and Cheyrou’s midfield performances were very good, and it was pretty obvious Rennes wouldn’t be able to hold out. And guess what happened ? Well, Cissé scored. Great work by Akalé down the left wing, who manages to keep the ball in play, gets past Fanni and plays a great cross in for Cissé to shoulder in as he beat Cheyrou and Echiejile in the air.

0-1 down after 18 minutes, and Marseille looked like they had the game in hand. Sure, Leroy, Wiltord and Pagis had managed to move forwards, but the sheer athleticism Marseille were putting into the game was proving too much for Rennes. Sorlin and Lemoine were generous in their efforts, but Nasri and Valbuena are a wonderful pair of technical, speedy, and aware players, who managed to keep the ball moving and dangerous. After about half an hour, the game started to shift in Rennes’s advantage however. Nasri was recieving considerably fewer balls, and was coming deeper and deeper in his half to get them, whilst Leroy was running the show for Rennes. We pushed forwards, attacking in waves, but two or three times Briand was flagged offside, and Marseille’s defence proved not only to be solid enough to clear the ball -luckily for us not better than long punts towards Cissé or Akalé, however- but were also playing a very effective offside trap. In the end, Pagis beat the offside trap on what seemed to be a run from a slightly offside position. A long passing movement had almost put Wiltord through on goal, only for the ball to be returned to Lemoine, who slid the ball between N’Diaye and Givet right into Pagis‘ path. As cool as ice, he fainted twice to shoot, and once Mandanda had committed himself he coolly chipped the ball into the back of the net. Marseille have the right to feel aggravated about this goal, since although the offside position isn’t very clear, it is there. However, Pagis did slice the back four open with a diagonal run that relied more on ball control than speed, and Krupoviesa on the left puts him on-side as soon as he recieves the ball…

So Pagis‘ 39th minute goal made it 1-1, and nothing much happened until half time. The second half started with Rennes dominating, and quite to my surprise, Akalé was the best player for Marseille, I felt. Nasri had almost vanished, as Sorlin just tagged him constantly after the break. Cissé was isolated up front, and the long balls he recieved contrasted with the short pass game Rennes was setting up. Wiltord, Leroy, Echiejile, Fanni, Pagis, Lemoine… It was really looking good, as not only were we moving the ball forwards, but we were changing the tempo, changing sides, pulling our opponents out of position with overlapping runs, and Briand had two clean chances on goal that he wasted. Akalé and Cissé were the only potential problems, but Cheyrou did well to close them down. Hansson wasn’t spectacular, but managed to deny Cissé two goalscoring occasions. The only problem is how slow those two are at the back. They looked like they could be beaten day in day out. Luckily though, we didn’t loose many balls, and the long balls towards the strikers didn’t always find their target.

Then, in five minutes, it all went wrong for Krupoviesa and Marseille. 63rd minute, whilst Rennes were pretty much dominating without much success, there’s a small foul by Valbuena (I think) on Wiltord. As the referee blows his whistle to give a free kick to Rennes, Pagis stomps on Krupoviesa’s ankle in a pretty late challenge. The referee brings out the yellow card and puts Pagis in his notebook, whilst Krupoviesa recieves medical assistance. Thankfully, he walks to the side of the pitch, so at least nothing was broken. But Krupoviesa didn’t like it at all it seemed, and three minutes later, he lays a two-legged tackle from behind on Pagis on the half-way line. He didn’t even get close to the ball, and the referee whips out the yellow card and jogs over to where the foul was, whilst calling Krupoviesa to come see him. Krupoviesa however didn’t come. From what I could make out, he was surrounded by Leroy, Wiltord and Briand, who didn’t seem to appreciate the aesthetic quality of his tackle. Givet, Cheyrou, Rodriguez and Cana served as a human wall between the Argentine wing-back and the angry Rennes players. Now, all this is pretty much normal when there’s a hard challenge, and since I’d seen the referee get out the yellow card, I was just waiting for it all to get back on track as soon as Krupoviesa had recieved a yellow card. But quite surprisingly, Krupoviesa seemed to turn his back on the referee and start to get back in position. I think this is when Coué shifted his mind from a yellow card to a red card, as he jogged over to Krupoviesa, put away the yellow card and dismissed him. Pretty harsh jugement I feel, because it was pretty much the same as what Pagis had done to him only a few minutes before. Except I think that it’s his attitude that earned him a red card. Whilst the referee was flapping for him to come over, he turned his back on him, and that’s when yellow became red. Not surprisingly, this proved to be a pivotal moment in the game. Until then, Rennes had dominated, but without breaching Marseille’s defence. Sadly, with only 10 men left, the defence crumbled.

Thomert, Pagis, Cheyrou and Hansson can celebrate at last!

Right after the red card, Gerets used his last two changes (N’Diaye had been replaced by Rodriguez for the second half) : Zenden came on for Akalé, and M’Bow came on for Valbuena. Sadly, it didn’t have much effect, as Rennes piled on the pressure. Pagis missed two good chances, and then perhaps the best change of the game was made by Lacombe : Lemoine off for Thomert. Yes, I know it’s easy to make a “good change” when you’re 11 against 10, but he really changed the match as soon as he came on. Only two minutes after coming on, he collected a blocked shot at the by-line, just inside the box. He crossed a deep ball for Pagis, whose strong header was turned to one side by Briand, only for Wiltord to get the second goal for Rennes from point-blank range. Now, I don’t know what Wiltord does outside football, nor why he chose to celebrate all his goals in 2008 so far (he already did it against Martigues) by dancing Tecktonik… But damn, I’ll suffer watching him do that dance if it means he’ll score loads.

Pagis was replaced by Didot, with only 5 minutes left to play, and yet the pressure just kept on. Echiejile and Fanni were almost wingers, and I honestly didn’t see Nasri or Cissé after the red card incident. In fact, I didn’t see Zenden either. Cana and Cheyrou tried all they could, but it was pretty much 9 against 6 since only Pouplin and Hansson weren’t attacking. Pressure paid off, and Wiltord got to dance again as Briand powered a shot at Mandanda’s goal that was so good that poor Mandanda could only tip it onto the post, where it bounced back into Wiltord’s path. I’m not completely up to date as to what the rules about passive/semi-passive/positional offsides are, but I am strongly dubious of Wiltord’s position when Briand shot. Had the referee called offside, I wouldn’t have any complaints, so I’ll sympathise with any Marseille supporters (only now though!) because that’s a second goal that is borderline off-side, as well as a harsh red card that changed the game. I still think that the pressure Rennes were putting on would have eventually taken at least one, if not all three points. But it’s pretty obvious that Mr Coué played a decisive role in today’s game.

Well, how did Cheyrou and Hansson fare in central defence?

Pouplin : Not much to do. Passive on Cissé’s goal, even though his defence hardly helped him. Afterwards proved reasonably solid, denying Cissé, Akalé and Cheyrou to keep the score down. 5,5
Fanni : A real beast, extremely useful in attack. However, seemed unable to cope with Akalé for the first 40 minutes. However, Marseille’s dip in form during the second half allowed him more freedom. 6,5
Cheyrou : Good central defensive display, even though he was hardly tested during the second half. Provided useful support in midfield after Krupoviesa’s dismissal. 6
Hansson : I like him because he’s a no-nonsense, straightforward defender. But against Cissé and Akalé he was just too slow. His placement was approximative at best, and only his tackling and heading redeemed him, but even those weren’t great. 4
Echiéjilé : Very solid display, even if he seemed a bit awkwards at times when going forwards to play with Wiltord, Sorlin, Lemoine or Thomert. Contained Valbuena very effectively after 15 minutes of fragility at the beginning of the match. Also, managed to keep Nasri out of the game once he was re-positioned on the right wing after Krupoviesa’s red card. 6
Lemoine : Good display, very active, but still quite brash in some sequences. Needs to calm down a little, so that he can use his skills more effectively. 6 – Replaced by Thomert (77′) : Wonderful performance, crucial in setting up the 2nd and 3rd goals, and ripped Marseille’s defence to shreds. 8
Sorlin : Had the ungrateful role of having to keep Nasri out of the game. For 30 minutes he wasn’t up to it, and then he did it so well it was a bit disappointing he didn’t manage to participate in the game a little more. Sometimes I wondered if he was still on the field, only for him to receive a pass and quickly play it away. Lacked cutting edge and desire. 4,5
Leroy : Great display by the ex-OM player. He pulled players at him, and kept the ball alive. A constant threat to Marseille thanks to his association with Fanni and his ability to create spaces to play into. However, seemed to become less involved in the latter stages of the game when he was playing a little to deep compared to other players. 7
Wiltord : Fantastic display. Kept on involving other players with simple passing moves, and clinched two goals to round off a performance of constant danger. 8,5
Pagis : Didn’t do much for 30 minutes, and then had perhaps his best hour in a Rennes shirt yet. Brought Rennes back level with a lovely strike against Mandanda, and from then on was involved permanently in the build-up of Rennes’ moves. His harsh tackle on Krupoviesa is the only blimp in an otherwise full-action hour. 8 – Replaced by Didot (86′) : Not enough time to show anything. N/A
Briand : Plenty of movement, but failed to get back on the goalscoring road. As Marseille started defending more and more during the second half, he found it harder to get involved, and subsequently weighed less on the back four than the other offensive players Rennes fielded. Got two assists, although neither seemed voluntary. 6,5

Lady luck hasn’t looked down on Rennes over the past month, and after 7 wins, 3 draws and only 1 defeat from the 15th of August to the 28th of October in the league, Rennes have lost 3 times on the run, been knocked out of the Ligue Cup by Valenciennes, and took only one point in their first two UEFA Cup group stage games losing to Basel and drawing Brann… Sure, the defeats in the league have been against “big” sides : Monaco, Bordeaux and Lyon, but Rennes’ UEFA qualification looks rather lucky so far, with only one win in four games, and a qualification for the group stages by only one goal…

Dréossi will have a difficult task as he is left without three key players due to injury : Mbia, Didot and Mensah are all out. Didot is the most bothersome, since he has been instrumental for Rennes so far this season, with great performances week in and week out. Mbia is slightly less bothersome, but his physical presence has been lacking since his injury, and his versatility means that young players will have to be brought into the squad to cover positions he played in. Mensah is funnily the lesser of the three injuries, since he was out at the beginning of the season, and Hansson has filled in very well in his absence.

Other niggling injuries include excellent cover goalkeeper Luzi, young Swiss striker Esteban, goal-to-goal midfielder Danze, and the strong youth defender Oniangue.

On the good side, Wiltord, Pouplin, Thomert and Pagis are all back in top gear, and after the game against Lyon where they all featured it looks like they’ll be able to put on a great performance against Hamburg if they’re on the team sheet. Catherine, perhaps the unluckiest second goalkeeper with Cudicini is also back from injury, mimicking Pouplin.

Rennes’ group :
Goalkeepers : Catherine, Pouplin
Defenders : Borne, Dembelé, Edman, Fanni, Hansson
Midfielders : Cheyrou, Lemoine, Leroy, Marveaux, Sorlin
Attackers : Badiane, Briand, Emerson, Pagis, Thomert, Wiltord

Logical choice by Dréossi, but the squad seems slightly unbalanced to me, with a lack of defensive options, and pretty much an overkill of attackers. I’m surprised Moreira isn’t part of the group, since he’s not on the record as injured. But then again, 29 games without a goal are pretty bad for a striker. Once more, I’m disappointed that Jeunechamp left, since he would be useful in this kind of situation.

Possible Rennes line-up :
Pouplin
Fanni – Borne – Hansson – Edman
Cheyrou – Sorlin
Leroy – Marveaux – Thomert
Briand

Pretty much a “normal” line-up, with the only “surprises” being Marveaux and Borne. Borne is in because of injuries to Rennes’ back four, and Marveaux deserves a start after his good game against Lyon. Nice to have Wiltord, Emerson and Pagis on the bench, but it looks like the only changes that are possible are offensive-minded, leaving Rennes in the delicate position of being unable to “close” the game once we’re ahead…

Perhaps that’s a good thing though, because Hamburg aren’t a team I imagine will find it too hard to break down Rennes’ defence. With key players Van der Vaart, Olic, Trachowski and Castelen in attack all ready to start, it could be a hard evening for Pouplin. Kompany, Jarolim and Reinhardt will be guarding Rost’s goal from any assaults and will prove hard to break down. And to put it differently, any side that can put Sorin, Zidan and Addo on the bench can’t be too bad.

Rennes will be wary of HSV crowd pleaser Hermann the blue dinosaur.

Hamburger SV group (unofficial)
Goalkeepers : Rost, Hesl
Defenders : Benjamin, Reinhardt, Mathijsen, Kompany, Boateng, Sorin
Midfielders : Jarolim, Castelen, Trochowski, Addo, Brečko, Kunert, Ben-Hatira
Attackers : Olic, Van der Vaart, Zidan

A squad that looks more defensive than it really is. Benjamin is quite an offensive-minded full-back, and Kompany is often played as a defensive midfielder. Castelen and Trochowski are very offensive wingers, Jarolim and Addo being more defensive central midfielders. Olic is the only real striker, but Van der Vaart and Zidan are versatile strikers that can play on the wing, in the hole or up front.

Possible HSV line-up
Rost
Boateng – Reinhardt – Mathijsen – Benjamin
Castelen – Jarolim – Kompany – Trochowski
Van der Vaart – Olic

A strong side, with an excellent bench : Sorin, Zidan, Addo… They’ve got options to go more offensive of more defensive, to play in other formations, or swap from a short-pass game to a long-pass game… Very complete squad.

Rennes will find it hard to tackle HSV in Hamburg. The pressure will be on Leroy and Marveaux to create chances for Thomert and Briand. Cheyrou and Sorlin will have the pressure of containing Jarolim and Van der Vaart, or Rennes will be very exposed to Hamburg’s strike force.

I expect a 2-2 draw, but I’m hoping HSV will lose their temper and play in a rash manner, something that would allow Leroy, Wiltord and Briand to combine to maximum effect.

Otherwise :

Sorin vs. Sorlin
Zidan on the bench
Pouplin vs. Olic aka. “England Killer”
Waiting for the commentators to make a bad joke about Fanni and Kompany
Reinhard and Trochowski to be replaced to leave Rost as the only German player
Congolese striker duel : Kembo-Ekoko vs. Saka. Well, we can imagine it.

Cyril Jeunechamp has legged it off to Nice.
Bordeaux remember that they’re supposed to be the second best team in Ligue 1.
Christophe Lollichon is Chelsea’s latest signing.
And Guingamp helped Rennes stay in form in a 1-1 draw.

I know that you can’t keep loads of talented players when you’re a second rank club in your country, and Jeunechamp’s disappointment at not playing often under Dréossi is perfectly understandable. But I’m still sad to see him leave. He wasn’t the most technical player Rennes ever saw, nor the most physical. But he was a strong defender full of fighing spirit in a team that often seems to lack bouncebackability…

I felt he was a very useful squad player, who should have been challenging Edman for a place at left-back, or M’Bia in the center of defence. But he is a right-back by trade, who can also play as a defensive midfielder, and Fanni, Didot, Cheyrou and M’Bia are just a touch better in those positions, meaning he was limited to a place on the bench.

Au revoir, Cyril. You were a devoted servant to Rennes for 5 of the most glorious years the club has known, and your part in that success is obvious. You were the backbone, the elder brother of a squad that relied time after time on youth to replace departing players, and you never failed us. Chapeau l’artiste. I wish you well at Nice, and I guess you’ll be part of one of the hardest defences to play against with Rool, Kanté and Hognon at your sides !

Rennes took a trip to Bordeaux with only a slight advantage in the league ranking over the south-western side. But what could have been a benchmark game for Rennes turned into a nightmare. Without Pouplin and Wiltord, injured, Rennes failed collectively to contain good if un-creative Girondins.

Man Utd fans might remember Bellion as one of the many players that were supposed to be fabulous but just never made the cut. Well, since joining Bordeaux, Bellion has been firing on all cylinders, and added two goals to his tally against Luzi. A penalty after 8 minutes and a good shot just after the break were enough to give Bordeaux leeway for the latter stages of the game. As Rennes took off Edman and Leroy, replaced by Kembo-Ekoko and Badiane in a bid to get back in the game, Bordeaux curled up in defence, and counter-attacked, Obertan getting to the end of a cross with less than ten minutes left to seal the result, and put Bordeaux 3rd, one point ahead of Rennes.

The result is harsh on Rennes, who were equals to their opponents for most of the game. Marveaux tried a lot, but was unlucky against Ramé, going very close to a hat-trick, with 3 shots almost clipping the woodwork. Leroy was good, but sadly not excellent as he has so often been. Without Wiltord beside him, he was slightly isolated, and couldn’t cause much damage to a very solid Bordeaux side. To pick out a third player would be hard, with a mid-field that was not creative enough, despite good intentions, Briand too isolated in attack, and a back four who proved un-easy when coping with the fast counter-attacks Bordeaux lead. Fanni was the only player to bring a real offensive contribution, but often left his wing open, and Bordeaux used it well. Luzi had a hard night, but shouldn’t be disappointed, as the penalty can’t be counted against him, and the other two goals were far from ridiculous.

Chelsea are full of money, but since Mourinho’s departure, they seem to be on some kind of a signing spree. However, the signings they’re making are all low-profile and will not get many playing minutes. Why? Because they’re coaches.

Christophe Lollichon is perhaps one of the best coaches out there. As a goalkeeping coach, the names of the people he has trained with is anything but brilliant : Petr Cech, Andreas Isaksson, Bernard Lama, Christophe Revault, Simon Pouplin… And the most astonishing is that he trained all of them whilst at Rennes ! From what I’ve heard, Grant, Ten Cate and even Abramovich had been pressured by Cech himself to get Lollichon amongst the staff ! I guess that goes to show what the people that train with him think of him…

I wish him all the best with Chelsea and Cech… As long as they don’t play against Rennes.

Even when the league is stopped, Rennes try to keep in form, and the friendlies with lesser clubs such as Guingamp help the manager to see who’s going up, and who’s going out. In a rather boring and low-gear game, a few kids showed they were good (Borne, M’Vila, Lemoine), and others confirmed their talent (Kembo-Ekoko, Le Tallec). But it’s also great to see that some of the injured players could be on the way back into the starting XI : Emerson was said to be the best player Rennes had on the pitch by Dréossi himself, and Moreira as well as Catherine put in good games.

Moreira answered Djoman’s opening goal (24′) with a little lob over Bodin (33′), but in the 60 minutes that were left, Rennes dominated the game without managing to find the back of the net.

Once again, sorry to have been absent for so long, but I hope to get back to better habits very soon.

Rennes’ good news was the return of Jérôme Leroy in midfield, whilst PSG were boosted by the return of Pedro Pauleta amongst the starting XI, as well as new Brazilian defender Ceara’s proper “début”.

The game started out pretty evenly, with chances either way. After 15 minutes, Mbia was injured and replaced by Hansson, to give the Mensah-Hansson pair it’s second try. Rennes reacted rather well to this as Jérôme Leroy scored his second league goal this season, chipping the ball over France international goalkeeper Mickaël Landreau after 19 minutes.

The game remained however quite even, with Digard and Didot running the midfields and stopping Leroy and Rothen from showcasing their offensive talent. At half-time, the score was still one-nil for Rennes though. The second half started in similar fashion, and the Parisian formation managed to honour belated president Borelli’s memory when Ceara was left completely un-marked, and his strong volley managed to find the back of the net (53rd), even though Luzi got his hands to it.

Fifteen minutes later however, Le Guen made what I feel was a critial mistake, when he took Digard and N’gog off to bring on Frau and Diané. Without Digard’s presence in midfield, Rennes seemed to play more freely, and only 3 minutes later, Leroy unleashed a long pass down the wing that Jimmy Briand latched on to, beating Zoumana Camara with his speed, and then slotting the ball past Landreau to make the score 2-1 after 73 minutes.

As the final minutes loomed, Rennes strengthened their grasp on the outcome of the game, making Paris’ chances wither away with each pass. After the ex-Parisian Leroy had scored one and given an assist, it was Wiltord who celebrated his first goal with only 5 minutes left on the clock, concluding a superb counter-attack he had started, before passing to Briand, who coolly beat Clément before giving the ball back to “Nino” to get his goalscoring record underway.

Starting elevens :

PSG : Mickaël Landreau – Ceara, Sylvain Armand, Grégory Bourillon, Zoumana Camara – Didier Digard, Jérémy Clément, Clément Chantôme, Jérôme Rothen – David N’gog, Pedro Pauleta (Cap.)

Rennes : Patrice Luzi – Rod Fanni, John Mensah, Stéphane Mbia, Erik Edman – Jérôme Leroy, Bruno Cheyrou, Etienne Didot (Cap.), Olivier Thomert – Jimmy Briand, Sylvain Wiltord

Le Mans’ emblem looks like something out of a video game.

Before the game, Rennes were 5th with 18 points, behind Bordeaux only on goals scored. Le Mans were 3rd, with 19 points, within a win of taking the lead of Ligue 1 for a few days should Lyon lose against Monaco. But Le Mans were unable to take any points against Rennes, whilst Lyon soared to yet another win. Bordeaux’s draw means that Rennes are the happier of the 4 teams that played, and shows that perhaps instead of being between Lyon and Marseille, the title race could be between Rennes and Lyon…

With three wins on the trot before the trip to Rennes, Le Mans were in good form, even though there had been some risk of injuries to a few squad members during the lead-up to the game. Gervinho, De Melo and Romaric had been reported by various media sources to have knocks. Sadly for Rennes, none of these reports were founded, since all three started against Rennes. Le Mans’ line-up was their best XI, with Pélé in goal, Romaric and Matsui in midfield and De Melo and Gervinho in attack as key players. Rennes chose a similarly predictable starting XI, the only meager changes from a “best XI” being the absence of Pouplin between the goal-posts because of a thigh injury and Briand’s absence from the match sheet. Luzi and Pagis filled in, and both managed to look as though they were first team players.

Right from the start, Rennes took control of the game, but Wiltord’s shot missed the target (2′), after a lovely through-ball by Leroy. Le Mans earned a good free-kick (10′) just outside the box, but Romaric’s shot was easily pushed away by Luzi, conceding a corner. The corner would turn out to be the origin of first goal of the game, with a counter-attack lead by Fanni, then Leroy, who chipped the ball through to Sorlin. Sorlin managed to control the ball and then thread it through to Pagis with a delicious pass. Alone against Pélé, Pagis didn’t need a second chance, and he crucified the young goalkeeper with an unstoppable shot from the edge of the box (11′).

Pagis begun it all…

Le Mans didn’t resign, and for the following 15 minutes, they were attacking continuously. Romaric (14′), Coutadeur (15′) Gervinho (18′ & 20′), Chalmé (19′) and De Melo (23′) tried to fool Luzi, but they were unable to level the score. Mensah and Hansson seemed to be unable to cope with the speed Le Mans were attacking with, but they still forced Le Mans to shoot from afar, and put pressure on their opponents, leading to slightly weak shots by the mancean strikers. Nonetheless, after 15 minutes of clear domination by Le Mans, Rennes seemed to get back into the match, and after a long passing sequence, Fanni gave the ball away just outside Le Mans’ box. Sorlin intercepted a poor pass by Camara and managed to find Leroy in the box, who gave him back the ball. Sorlin tried to cross the ball, but Calvé managed to hack the ball away from Wiltord, Pélé having been unable to cut the cross’ path (29′).

However, Le Mans regained their domination of the game, but seemed to play deeper, creating less problems for Rennes’ back four, and more trouble for Didot and Cheyrou, who weren’t having their best game this season by a long shot. The best chances Le Mans had came off free kicks, with Matsui connecting with a first-post ball by Romaric, but his shot was too weak to trouble Luzi (34′), and then Romaric hit a direct free kick just a touch off target (39′).

The second half started in a similar fashion to the end of the first, with Le Mans going forwards and Rennes defending slightly awkwardly. Sessegnon’s shot was blocked by Luzi (48′), and then Coutadeur hit his lob over the crossbar (49′). Rennes reacted although, and it came from a player I didn’t expect to see : Luzi. He shouted at Mensah, Hansson, Fanni and Edman, but also seemed to be heard by Cheyrou and Didot, with all six players raising their game for the last 40 minutes! Nice to see that Rennes has new players with character, but dissapointing that Mensah, Didot, Leroy or Wiltord -the old guard- didn’t manage to do it first…

…Wiltord made it two…

Cheyrou connected with a long corner kick by Didot, but his header bounced over the crossbar (51′), despite having beaten Pélé and his marker, Cheyrou didn’t get his first goal for Rennes. It was the waking call for Rennes though, and one minute later, Fanni played a long ball down the wing for Pagis, who held the ball up and gave it back to Fanni. Fanni passed the ball to Leroy, but his shot was blocked by a defender. Fanni got the ball back however, and gave Leroy a second chance. This time, he didn’t shoot, since he spotted Wiltord, and his through ball set Wiltord alone against Pélé, allowing Wiltord to make it 2-0. And to think that a lot of people (including me) were dubious when Rennes bought so many players that were either old of relatively unknown! Four of them combined perfectly to create a nice goal that gave Rennes a little slack against Le Mans!

Le Mans tried to react by bringing Le Tallec and Maiga on, but instead of giving more offensive options, it seemed to disorganise Le Mans, giving Rennes a clear grasp on the last half-hour of the game. Le Mans resorted to playing long balls for their strikers, since Didot and Cheyrou took a firm grasp on the midfield, and Rennes controlled their attacks, playing deep to tire Le Mans and changing wings to disrupt a solid mancean back four. Le Tallec (62′) and De Melo (84′) for Le Mans, Wiltord (64′ & 70′) and Sorlin (76′) for Rennes animated the last half-hour with shots that never seemed to be really dangerous, with defenders and midfielders being more used than strikers in the dying stages of the match. Julian Esteban did get a goal in stoppage time however, after Cerdan completely failed to control the ball when he intercepted a long ball by Sorlin.

…And Esteban made it 3 goals for 3 points to go 3rd.

Overall, a game where Le Mans can be dissapointed by the weight of the defeat, but Rennes deserved to win, with more control on the game overall, and a more creative front line.

Video:

At least Rennes was one of them. Pity for Lens and Sochaux, but you’re not going to the Group Stages. Rennes is going there, but in a slightly more delicate situation than 2 weeks ago. After a 3-1 away win against Lokomotiv Sofia, Rennes had what seemed like an easy job : conserve the advantage. But being Rennes, we did it the hard way. Go a goal up after 24 minutes thanks to Marveaux, and then let Lokomotiv score twice by Antunovic before half-time. Spend the last 45 minutes scared that the Bulgarian side will pull back to level terms and possibly eliminate you. Miss a few shots on the way. The hard way, the Rennes way.

I’ll make my little rant on the UEFA Cup now. I could save it for a later post, but now is fine too. First of all, I’m bothered by people who say that the UEFA Cup is a “second-rate” cup. Sure, when you’re a Real Madrid, a Manchester United or a Juventus, when you’ve got a Champions League trophy to show as well as a handful of domestic trophies, then yes, the UEFA Cup becomes a little bit a “loser’s” cup, since you’re aiming for the Champions League. But there are only a dozen or so clubs that can say, straight in the eyes, that a UEFA Cup wouldn’t interest them. For all the other clubs out there (yes, I’m looking at you, Arsenal, at you, Lyon and at you, Roma), a UEFA Cup is something that will never replace a Champions League, but it is still a trophy that only a few clubs have, and that each of them conquered after an epic struggle to battle past so many opponents from different countries.

I’d be frantic if Rennes even got close to UEFA glory, let alone to the final (notice how I don’t even hope we’ll win it?). So when I hear people say or write that the UEFA cup would be a disappointment and that “big” clubs like Lyon should aim higher, I’m worried and angry. Sure they should aim higher. We all dream of winning the Champions League. That and our domestic league. But when you’re in a tight position in the Champions League or you miss out on qualification, I can’t understand that you field a “B” squad, saying you need to “keep your players fresh for the next league game” or something like that. How can you risk qualification for Europe over some league game? The UEFA Cup only gives you 2 shots to get it right. Mess up in one of them, and you can be out. Mess up in both, you’re sure to be out. The league, on the other hand, gives you 37 chances to make your wrong step right…

Some people even compare the UEFA Cup with a domestic Cup. Now, I’ve not got anything against the domestic cups. The way they work out is pretty good : one careless one, one careful one. But you don’t have to “do” anything to qualify for them. All you have to do to have a decent chance of winning a domestic Cup is to be in the top domestic division. That’s it. You can finish 13th, you’ve probably got as much luck as a team that’s 4th or 5th of winning it. But European competitions are different since you have to qualify for them. You only get a shot at the UEFA Cup if you’re well in the top half of your domestic league. And even then, you’re up against teams that finished in the top half of their top domestic division. Nothing like a domestic cup where “big” clubs fall against tiny nobodies for their first 2 or 3 games. Sure, since the 90s and the opening of the Champions League to “non-champions”, the UEFA Cup has began to attract “smaller” teams that weren’t runner-up in their home league. But most of the UEFA Cup sides are still very much amongst the best in their league… Ajax Amsterdam, Bayern Munich, Villareal, Bordeaux, Leverkusen, Anderlecht, Tottenham, Bolton, Galatasaray, Toulouse… Sure it’s nothing compared to the list of Champions League teams, but it’s already a great challenge… To win aginst 4 of those teams in home and away matches. That’s why I think some people should take it more seriously, particularly in the “big 5″ countries.

Well, rant over, back to Rennes‘ reception of Lokomotiv Sofia! Dréossi had chosen to change his starting XI, and with Borne, Kembo Ekoko and Badine as starters, as well as Lemoine and Levacher on the bench, the squad was quite novice at this level. The returns of Jeunechamp and Pagis in the starting XI were also quite good signs. However, it was just a little too many changes to Rennes’ usual line-up, and after 20 minutes where everything went well, the goal scored by Marveaux seemed to send Rennes asleep. The half-time pep talk was useful though, since not only did the entries of Leroy and Thomert give Rennes more volume, but the whole squad seemed more lively, finding more spaces. Marveaux had two good chances of getting a second goal during the second half, but Golubovic provided some epic goalkeeping to deny him. Honestly, keep tabs on Golubovic, because from what I saw, I was impressed with the speed of his reflex saves.

And as if it wasn’t bad enough, Rennes had another game to play right after where they were favourites again : a Ligue Cup game against Ligue 2 side Clermont Auvergne Foot. However, lightning didn’t strike twice in a week, as Thomert helped Rennes win a quite physical game in extra time.

So? What can we (and I) learn from this?

First of all, that I shouldn’t get too optimistic. I was optimistic before the season started, and Nancy beat us to start our season. Then I doubted as we played against Marseille, Saint-Etienne, less when we faced Metz, Nice and Auxerre, a little more for the game against Lille, and then very little against Lorient and Sochaux. I was so convinced that Rennes would beat Sochaux that I forgot that Rennes are the perfect team you want to be underdogs against, because most of the time, Rennes can’t live up to the pressure.

Secondly, that Rennes’ home form isn’t going to get much worse, but it’ll not be getting much better either. Rennes have 4 wins in 6 away games, without losing away, and yet we only 7 points in 5 games at home. Opponents are ready to come to Rennes to get a draw, and by playing deep and with 5 midfielders, we’re not able to settle into our rhythm with Didot and Leroy running the midfield.

Thirdly, that every series has an end. Rennes’ month of wonders started with a 0-0 away draw against Marseille on August 11th, and finished with a 3-1 away win against Lokomotiv Sofia on September 20th. Sochaux’s month of disasters started and finished on the same dates, with a 3-1 defeat against Le Mans to start it, and a 2-0 defeat against Panionios to end it.

Also, Rennes might not have enough depth to play a front role all season, and the team might work by cycles. With so much creative work relying on Leroy and so much midfield duties being done by Didot, as soon as these players have a dip in performance, the whole team could suffer from it. Wiltord, M’Bia, Sorlin, Marveaux and Cheyrou should be able to step up every now and then, but so far the haven’t proved they could fill in for Leroy or Didot if either of them is injured.

Pouplin is central to Rennes’ performances. However, with his injuries seeming to be recurrent as this season starts, it’s important that Luzi and Catherine prove they can fill Pouplin’s gloves. Luzi has been a good replacement, but with an unsure defence in front of him, I’m not going to ask for miracles. Catherine is the big question mark, since he was supposed to be the 2nd goalkeeper, but injured himself just hours after Pouplin. Let’s hope he’ll not be injured each time Pouplin is.

Hansson or Mensah alongside M’Bia seems to be the best solution in central defence so far. M’Bia is still not a great defender in my opinion, and both Hansson and Mensah are better than him. However, he is able to adapt to both their playing styles, whilst Hansson and Mensah are still ill at ease when playing together. Borne is a nice backup solution, but he’s not consistant yet. He’ll be a great sub for injuries though.

Another thing : Rennes’ strike force is still weak. Rotating strikers is good since they’ll be fresh late into the season, but they’re finding it hard to get used to playing together for the moment. Wiltord is starting to be disappointing with average performances, and even if Emerson needs a lot of adapting, since he came from Saudi Arabia, it would be nice for him to start a few games. After all, he’ll not get any more confident if he doesn’t start… Pagis, Thomert and Briand are getting better each time they play, but still aren’t playing at 100%.

Last thing : Dréossi has started being Benitez-esque with his squad rotation over the last few games. I’m liking it. We’ve got a large pool of good players, and we’ll not be able to challenge successfully for all the competitions we are playing in if we field the same 11 players week in week out. However, he shouldn’t over-do it, and to have 3 or 4 players that are kept from last week’s squad would also help the players to find their marks quicker. Leroy has been playing a lot, so have Didot, Fanni, Edman, Wiltord and Briand. Perhaps resting them all one week wouldn’t be the best solution, but resting 3-4 for “small” games like Clermont is an excellent idea. However, you’ve got to remember to change your tactic a little when players like Leroy aren’t in the quad any longer.

Rennes 0 – 2 Sochaux

Goals
Sochaux : Dalmat 36th, Isabey 58th.

Squads
Rennes :
Luzi – Fanni, M’Bia, Mensah, Edman – Leroy, Marveaux, Didot, Cheyrou, Thomert – Briand
Pagis for Cheyrou 59th, Wiltord for Fanni 65th

Sochaux :
Richert – Daf, Afolabi, N’Daw, Drame – Isabey, Josse, Mathis, Dalmat – Birsa, Dagano
Pancrate for Birsa 82nd

Clermont 0 – 1 Rennes

Goal
Rennes : Thomert 113th

Squads
Clermont :
Quievreux – Marveaux, Mennel, Abdoulaye, Cordonnier – Haaby, Ponge, Hamdany, Diers – Carlier, Diaw
Coue for Ponge 62nd, Pote for Diers 91st, Chaussidiere for Marveaux 109th

Rennes :
Luzi – Jeunechamp, Borne, Mensah – Sorlin, Didot, M’Bia, Marveaux, Cheyrou – Briand, Pagis
Thomert for Pagis 60th, Wiltord for Marveaux 73rd, Badiane for Borne 90+5th

Honestly, Sochaux is hardly a club I’m scared of. Birsa is their best striker, and he can only score on penalties (2 out of his 4 goals). Pitau is the club’s best assist maker, with one (1) assist. They have managed to get almost 2 cards per game, and that is about all they can get. 7 goals scored in 10 games, 18 conceded, and Richert who was hit by the “being on the first page of The Offside” curse : he couldn’t even stop a penalty shot by Maoulida with his current form.

Rennes are looking better than ever. The almost perfect month mark is coming up, and I can’t see Sochaux spoiling it, even if a freak snowstorm leaves the pitch looking like Sochax’s stadium for last season’s game (nice picture, I think). Since the 25th of August, Rennes have notched up 4 wins in 5 games, conceding a draw to Lille. 10 goals scored by 6 players, with only 3 goals conceded (2 in one game), and best of all, a team that seems to be able to control the midfield almost effortlessly, with Didot picking up loose balls, Leroy and Wiltord to take them forwards, and anyone, yes, anyone, to put the ball in the back of the net.

However, I’m never over-optimistic when I look at games, and Sochaux could still get a draw, even if I think a win is beyond them right now. Sochaux have a pretty decent record on the road (3 draws, 2 defeats), and the law of series indicates that they’ll manage to win sooner rather than later. Also, Hantz will have an injury-free squad for the first time this season, so perhaps he’ll be able to change things around to get a good result. Sochaux’s dissapointing results is also a consequence of a rather “heavy” start to the season : PSG, Monaco, Lyon and Lille are “big” clubs, and losses against them isn’t surprising, Le Mans, Strasbourg and Valenciennes were in superb form, and shocked Champions-League-bound sides like Toulouse and Marseille early in the season. So what is Sochaux’s “fragility” based on? A series of logical defeats against bigger sides, and slightly dissapointing performances against in-form sides. Not much, really, to be saying that Sochaux will be going down in 30 games to visit Ligue 2.

The whole “hype” about Sochaux’s poor footballing level is, when you look at it, down to two games : their 2-2 draw with Caen (18th) where they managed to let Caen score as many goals as in their previous 4 games (2), and were lucky to get a point thanks to a penalty conceded by Caen’s defence. And the other game was the no-show they gave in the UEFA Cup against Panionios : a 0-2 home defeat, notable by the complete lack of presence by the French side in midfield, where Pitau, Vargas and Pancrate were completely out of pace.

Overall, though, Sochaux’s level is still unknown, mainly down to Perrin’s replacement : Hantz. In the 10 games he has been in control, he has yet to start twice the same eleven players, and only one player has started more than 3 games in a row : “Butterfingers” Richert. With Tosic, Ziani and Leroy having left in the summer, Hantz has inherited a team that needs to be rebuilt, and so far, he’s still looking for the foundations, with only Richert that is really a “default” starter.

Rennes won’t be doing him any favours though, and I’m sure that Jérôme Leroy will have a debt to settle with Sochaux who were convinced they didn’t need him and let him sign at Rennes on a free transfer, under allegations that he was a “mercenary” and something of a “bad boy” (as far as I know he was accused of being part of a mobile phone traffic, but the accusations weren’t backed up by facts nor a police investigation). Leroy had already expressed his desire to part fortunes with Sochaux once the Coupe de France won, but the situation he left in was very tense, even though he remains a perfect professional I’m sure he’ll want to prove to Hantz and Sochaux that he should have been kept in the team, and that letting him leave was the biggest mistake they made last summer.

But Leroy will be able to count on Wiltord and Emerson up front, eager to get their début goals for the “Rouge et Noirs”, whilst Briand and Thomert will hope to keep on scoring to remain in the line-up in front of Pagis and Moreira. At the back, Mensah and Hansson will get to play their second game together, with M’Bia on the bench in case either of them slack at the job. Didot will also feel M’Bia’s presence, and Marveaux, Jeunechamp, Sorlin and Cheyrou won’t find it easy to convince Dréossi that they should be automatic starters. Fanni and Edman are sure to start, but Borne and Danzé will be back from injury soon, and no doubt they’ll give extra options to Rennes’ defence.

Said like that, Rennes sound like a strong and deep squad. And Rennes is deep, but only up front. Whilst there are 6 strikers (as well as 3 excellent youth players : Esteban, Ekoko and Badiane) and 7 midfielders (and Bru, Danzé and Lemoine), there are only 4 real defenders (M’Bia can fill in, but he’s a midfielder, even though Borne and Oniangue are itching to steal his place). Pouplin has two good replacements behind him : Catherine and Luzi. It’s just a bit of a pity that the day following Pouplin’s injury, Catherine injured himself, turning 3rd-choice Luzi into a makeshift 1st choice…

Back on the topic, though, I expect Rennes to win 3-0 with very big games all across midfield, mainly Didot, Marveaux and Leroy. Rennes will play in a 4-3-3 formation, with a Fanni-Mensah-Hansson-Edman back four, Leroy-Didot-Marveaux in midfield, and Wiltord-Emerson-Briand in attack. The bench will be graced by the backsides of M’Bia, Jeunechamp, Sorlin, Cheyrou, Thomert, Moreira and Luzi, with Pouplin in goal, of course. Sochaux will be beaten mainly in central midfield, but Fanni will also cause havoc on his wing, combining with both Leroy and Wiltord. Briand will often drop in as support for Emerson, with Marveaux playing wide on the left side. Who’ll score? I’ll be crazy and guess that too : Wiltord will open the score, Marveaux will get the best goal of the game, and Emerson will poach a goal to make Sochaux a “double début” for our attack.

Feel free to point out my many mistakes if Rennes lose, or even if we win! After all, predictions are made to be wrong…

P.S. I can feel I’m writing more and more each time. I promise that I’ll try to write less next time. And put in more pictures!