All words no action?

A good communicator, Frédéric Antonetti is often recognized by observers as an adept of fine football. However, since he arrived in Marseille, the gap is massive between the manager’s speech and the performances displayed by Stade Rennes on the pitch. In the same time, his recent outbursts gave the impression of a latent discomfort. Is it time for continuity or for reconstruction?

"When people talk about me, they talk about virile, aggressive teams, but this is a cliché. I like 1982’s or 1986’s Brazil, with Zico, Socrates, Falcao. My favourite teams are the ones able to play attacking football”. These were Frédéric Antonetti’s first words after his arrival in Rennes was made official in June 2009. At the time, the general feeling was that the Corsican manager came to give the Stade Rennais a style and an identity. A year and a half later however, the acknowledgement is clear-cut, and the fans are still looking for the hypothetic Antonetti style.

Suffering with recurrent issues, such as their inability to jostle a team defending in their thirty metres, Stade Rennes gives the impression of a juvenile team severely lacking ingenuity and variety in their intentions. Despite encouraging figures in terms of points and league position, Rennes has got nothing on offer but a dull, stereotyped football, with a lack of technic and attacking impact becoming Rennes’ trademark over the last few weeks.

Having sacrificed creativity and efficiency (Bangoura, Gyan, Pagis, Sow) to favour athleticism (Kana-Biyik, Mandjeck, Mangane, Tettey), Rennes is in all sorts of bother when time comes to defend its style. Since a few game weeks, Antonetti has even decided to leave Yacine Brahimi and Jérome Leroy on the fringes of the first team to give his midfield yet more density. With Stéphane Dalmat’s reduced attacking input and Sylvain Marveaux injured, the whole attacking organisation needs to be worked on, and it doesn’t take an expert’s eye to diagnose the team’s malfunctions.

Change of philosophy

Lacking fluidity, Antonetti’s men have only scored seventeen goals in the league so far, failing to find the net in seven occasions. A mediocre figure for a team aiming for the European positions at the end of the season. With only one goal score over the last 4 games, Stade Rennes shows all the extent of its attacking deficiencies, failing to build on the solidity of the defence, the best in the league at the moment. Defensive intentions affirmed and propped-up by Rennes’ coaching staff.

The ambition of fine football out of the window, time for more athletic impact, with a recruitment in that direction during the last summer break. A mutation that Antonetti himself doesn’t really admit, not hesitating to hit at opponents refusing the game, as he did this season after hosting Saint-Etienne and Monaco. Should we spend more energy in trying to solve our own issues? Probably, even if the manager has got to be given the advantage of mitigating circumstances with several major players missing (Lemoine, Marveaux, Tettey) and a squad lacking of balance in some areas, although most of this summer’s departures were completed with the agreement of Antonetti [1]

However, this should in no way hinder the poor quality of Rennes’ football since he took his functions as head coach. Given a confidence boost by a terrific beginning to the season (eighteen points during the first nine game weeks), Rennes has been wobbling since their first defeat of the season against Montpellier (0-1). With only nine points in as many games since then, Stade Rennes’ run at the moment is comparable to Lens or Valenciennes’, two teams hanging around the lower mid-table positions.

Continuity in abeyance

He had adapted immediately to the club’s quiet atmosphere after signing his contract, now the Corsican manager doesn’t hesitate to rock the boat anymore, and expresses his irritation when he deems it necessary. Some of his recent intervention to the media , and particularly his words after the defeat in Auxerre in November [2] had caused some discomfort before Antonetti moderated his views a few days later. Had he been duped when presented Rennes’ project? His reply to Ouest-France was perfectly clear: “When I joined Rennes, I knew the context perfectly. To train youngster is part of my job. It’s a sportive policy, which I fully agree with ».

Protective, Antonetti can also show uncompromising when he has to defend his men, and particularly Stéphane Dalmat. Criticised for performances below the expectations put on him, the former Sochaux player found an advocate in his manager. Getting further in his analysis, the coach pointed his finger at certain “dark forces” located “in the first circle around the club, not internally, and who like to add fuel to the fire”. Some former executives at the club, now part of the club’s administrative board, could well be the Rennes manager’s target.

With a contract ending in June next year, Antonetti is currently in talk with his hierarchy about a possible extension of his employment. Since several weeks, he’s been repeating that the sportive results would be deciding his personal future. Recently, Pierre Dréossi also gave his view on the topic : « If I am to remain the club’s general manager next year, it will be with Frédéric Antonetti as the first team’s coach”. A sentence that doesn’t leave any ambiguity on the Rennes general manager’s intentions. As for the club’s intentions, Antonetti should present his views to his hierarchy soon, this certainly with a strong will to be heard for once. Willing to reach another step with the Stade Rennais, he would certainly like to be given additional financial means in order to have a more competitive team in the next months. Some decisions can deeply affect the future of a club. And a manager’s career too.

Footnotes