The Stade Rennais, first leaders of Ligue 1

- Rennes takes the lead !
After leading the league during several game weeks last season, Stade Rennes have done it again by taking the lead of the championship at the end of this first week-end. The only team to have a goal-average of +4 (against +2 to Montpellier, Lyon and Toulouse), the “Rouge et Noir” will be hosts to Paris Saint-Germain with a position of league leaders.
The performance may seem anecdotal, but let’s remind that last year, Stade Rennes had put an end to forty consecutive years without experiencing this first place (read previously).

- Brahimi recovers, Kana-Biyik injured :
Hurt to the fibula against Rustavi last Thursday, Yacine Brahimi hadn’t not recovered enough to be able to play in this first Ligue 1 game week. Present at the Stade Gaston- Gérard, the Rennes player was not including on the match sheet. Questioned by the commentators of Foot+, he assured that his injury isn’t too bad, and that he should return to training in the next few days.
_However, Jean-Armel Kana-Biyik twisted his ankle during the warm-up. Although he could start the game, the defender had to be replaced by John Boye at the beginning of the second half. According to news items published on the club’s official website, the French-Cameroonese is suffering with a sprained ankle.

- The Rennes triple-double :
The fact is rare enough to be underlined, no less than three Rennes players have managed to score a goal and an assist each. They are Victor Hugo Montaño (who scored the first goal and assisted Féret), Julien Féret (assisting Mangane on a corner) and Razak Boukari (assisting Montaño). In the standing of Rennes’ most efficient attacking players, Julien Féret is in the lead with three goals and two assists in three games.
It is also fair to note that Montaño has managed one of his best games with Rennes this Sunday, also obtaining a penalty. Last season, for his first match with the “Rouge et Noir” in Nancy, he had already scored a goal and given an assist.

- The recurring inability to score penalties :
After Boukari’s failure to beat Bediashvili during the first leg against Rustavi, Julien Féret is the second Rennes player to miss a penalty this season, out of two tries.
Last season already, Stade Rennes had not been really effective in that exercise, only converting five of the eight awarded to them. The penalty given yesterday was the second obtained by Montaño since he arrived in Rennes. The first one had already been missed: it was in Marseille, and Kembo had seen his attempt stopped by Mandanda.

- Dijon, failed opening :
All of Dijon had been waiting for their club’s debut in Ligue 1 since two months, in what will be the club’s first season at this level. History books will remember that the club from Bourgogne started on a heavy defeat. It will also be remembered that it is on a heavy score line that Stade Rennes won the first ever confrontation between two teams that had never met either in the league or in the national cups.
On the pitch, the learning process was also painful. No less than nine players out of the fourteen used by Patrice Carteron were debuting in Ligue 1, with only Méïté, Souprayen, Matsui, Sankharé et Thil having played in the top flight before. In Rennes, Pitroipa was the only player to discover Ligue 1 this Sunday, but he already has the experience of three seasons in the Bundesliga.

- Privileged observers :
A few former Rennais were present at the Stade Gaston- Gérard to watch the game. Alongside Johann Ramaré, Jimmy Briand has made the two hours trip from Lyon to come and watch his former team-mates play.
The game was also carefully observed by Robert Prosinečki, the manager of Red Star Belgrade, the future opponent of Rennes in the Europa League. On the Serbian club’s official website, the Croatian manager said how impressed he was by Rennes and the game they had played, with a special mention to the attacking four. However, Prosinečki showed confident about his team’s chances, notably relying on the boiling atmosphere that should be on in the Red Star’s stadium for the first leg.

- Five goals on the road, once again :
As in Tbilisi against Rustavi, Stade Rennes managed to score five goals in an away game. As we mentioned a bit over a week ago, the “Rouge et Noir” had not scored as many goals away from Rennes since the thumping of Guingamp at the Roudourou in March 2001 (6-1). A result that remains the record for Rennes, in Ligue 1 and on the road. It was thus managed two years ago in the Cotes d’Armor, but also in August 1948 against FC Metz.
This Sunday, Stade Rennes were therefore only one goal short from equalling a historical record.

-  Carteron’s worries :
Without really look for excuses for the defeat of his team after the game, Patrice Carteron seemed unimpressed this Sunday evening. Indeed, the team from Bourgogne saw his game preparation troubled by last-minutes changes in defence, forcing the start of Zakaria Diallo at centre back notably.
Originally, it was the usual starter Chaher Zahour who should have been lined-up, but the club from Bourgogne was informed on Saturday evening that the defender was finally suspended for an accumulation of yellow cards during the last Ligue 2 season. Also missing Cédric Varrault (not qualified yet), Patrice Carteron could not rely on the defence he had used for the friendlies. “The players gave their best, but I had to reorganise the team in comparison to the pre-season games we have played, that’s why I’m solidary with my squad tonight”, the Dijon manager declared.

- Antonetti enjoyed the content :
Ignoring the result and the leader position earned at the end of the game, Frédéric Antonetti mainly enjoyed the content of the game. After a first few minutes in which Rennes played too many high balls and put itself in a difficult situation, the solutions found did satisfy the Rennes manager. “My team managed to contain Dijon’s euphoria and they managed to bring the ball to the ground, Antonetti noted. I believe that the quality of Stade Rennes’ strikers made the difference. We showed good things, but to be leaders after this game doesn’t mean anything. We will try to confirm during the second game week against the Paris SG armada”.

- Source of interviews: ouest-france.fr, rmc.fr