They won something?

By: Shazback | September 21st, 2007

If you were to have missed Ligue 1 last season, you’d think I was pulling your leg if I told you that Sochaux won the most prestigious of all French football Cups last year. Ten games, 6 defeats, no wins and 4 draws. Even Panionios won in Sochaux to get Perrin’s ex-team on it’s way in Europe.

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!