Ligue 1, Stade rennais 0 - 0 Auxerre. Although they failed to win, Rennes players– including Jérôme Leroy - were satisfied not to have lost against Auxerre. Between Rennes’ attacking weaknesses and Auxerre’s iron defence, all echoes after this game.
- Uncertainty before the game:
The preparation of the game was troubled for Rennes. According to Ouest-France, Nicolas Douchez remained doubtful a few hours before kick-off, hurting with lumbago and forced to receive treatment from the physio. The keeper could finally be present, and showed decisive to parry the Auxerre counter-attacks.
Announced as a starter, Kévin Théophile-Catherine was forced to let Samuel Souprayen start at left-back. Suffering with tonsillitis during the week, the young defender finally came off the bench for the last fifteen minutes of the game.
- A goalless draw wasn’t that predictable...
Despite the dispositions of both teams, which didn’t suggest the possibility of a goal-rich game, the odds were firmly against a goalless final score. Indeed, it’s the first time in 2011 that Rennes draws on that score, and the first this season they draw two consecutive games (after the draw in Lyon).
For Auxerre, also the club has conceded the most draws this season (this was the fifth), no match had ended with that particular score line so far (twelve times 1-1, twice 2-2).
- More suspensions to follow?
Cautioned by M. Lannoy during the game, Stéphane Dalmat and Jérôme Leroy are now under the threat of a suspension for their next yellow card. They join Tongo Doumbia, Alexander Tettey and Victor Hugo Montaño (who has a suspended ban of one game on top of the suspension that followed his dismissal in Lyon).
Tettey will remain under the threat for the next three games, Doumbia for six matches, Leroy for seven, Dalmat eight and Montaño until the term of the season.
- In Auxerre, Injured are piling up :
If there was to be a trophy for the Ligue 1 team the most handicapped with injuries, Rennes and Auxerre would probably be the top contenders. Already missing several key-elements (Jelen and Pedretti in particular), the Bourguignons also lost their defender Stéphane Grichting and their attacking midfielder Valter Birsa during the game. Both men were replaced at half-time.
Grichting seemingly injured himself alone before struggling to finish the first half, while Birsa received a knock to his ankle after an involuntary challenge from Mangane.
- Back in time :
With no less than five attacking players missing (Brahimi, Camara, Kembo, Marveaux and Montaño), an avalanche of goals was an unlikely outcome for Rennes. With a Verhoek showing much good will but still in a learning phase, Leroy showing his talent alternatively and Antonetti without replacement solutions on the bench, and more generally with an Auxerre team leaving little space for Rennes to develop their attacking play, the game had a flavour of those matches a few months ago, when Stade Rennes always showed the same sterile ball possession (65% this Saturday) without creating any danger in attack.
During the first half of the season, Frédéric Antonetti’s player had regularly been unable to get round their opponent’s defensive blocks, often relying on their fortune (penalty against Monaco, Kana-Biyik’s goal in injury time against Valenciennes) to earn a few victories. With two recruits this winter, these times seemed far behind. But injuries brought these attacking difficulties back to the front of the scene.
- Unfair whistles for Dalmat ?
Replaced by Fabien Lemoine for the last minutes of the game, Stéphane Dalmat has – once again – received whistles from the Rennes fan during his substitution. A very harsh “sanction” in view of the good match played by the former Sochaux-man, one of the only Rennais to have been able to beat Auxerre’s first defensive line.
- Auxerre got what they came for:
Looking at the AJA’s starting line-up, there was no doubts Jean Fernandez had decided to play the defence. With five defenders and two defensive midfielders, Auxerre stopped the meagre signs of attacking intentions of Rennes, by reducing the spaces as much as possible and blocking the wings with Chafni and Berthod, and despite a nearly inexistent pressing and a team camping in their half of the pitch. Playing this way, Auxerre could even have earned all three points, if Douchez had not been so vigilant.
Jean Fernandez confirmed his satisfaction after the game. “We are happy with that point, the Auxerre manager explained. We were solidary and assertive and this was necessary, since physically and technically, Rennes was better. We knew it would be difficult, especially on Rennes’ pitch. We hadn’t earned a point on the road since the winter break, tonight we did it”.
- No regrets for Rennes :
Although the mood could have been to frustration and disappointment in the Rennes dressing room, it was paradoxically the satisfaction not to have lost the game that came first in the players’ reactions, justified by the numerous absentees in attack. “A game like this one is for little dribblers such as Marveaux and Brahimi”, Frédéric Antonetti noted, also recognising that his team should have tried to up the rhythm of the game.
In the inability to make the difference in attack, Rennes also had to avoid giving in to Auxerre’s counter-attacks. “We came close to a catastrophe several times, and we were well near being defeated at the end of the game, Jérôme Leroy noted. To me, we truly earned a point, and we can consider ourselves fortunate ».
À défaut d’être en mesure de faire la différence offensivement, restait à ne pas craquer défensivement face aux contre-attaques bourguignonnes. «On a frôlé la catastrophe à plusieurs reprises et on a bien failli être battu en fin de match, a noté Jérôme Leroy. Pour moi, on a véritablement gagné un point, et on peut s’en estimer heureux».
Sources : ouest-france.fr and lequipe.fr
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