Antonetti : “We must not get discouraged !”

The day after the draw against Nancy, Jirès Kembo doesn’t panic: “This is a rather positive period since we are able to play some good football. As long as we create chances, there is no reason to worry, although we need to be more clinical in front of the goals”. Indeed, Stade Rennes is only three points behind the leader, Lyon, before the trip to Sochaux.

Ability to unsettle the opposition

In the squad, this confidence is mainly based on the experience acquired in the Europa League and in Ligue 1. “We have a good ability to apprehend the games, whatever the opponent and the style of play we are facing, considers Frédéric Antonetti. We must not get discouraged, continue in this way and simply be more clinical.”

Rennes’ main quality, according to its manager: «At any time, we have the ability to unsettle the opposition’s defence through an acceleration, individual or collective, or by using the wings”. Jonathan Pitroipa, who made the difference for the Rennes goal against Nancy, is a prime example.
Just as the new ability to feed balls to the forwards through Yann M’Vila, Julien Féret, Vincent Pajot or Stéphane Dalmat. The game against Nancy, against a regrouped team, revealed this new side of the team’s game: “When we faced the same problems, last season, we were often going in circles, Frédéric Antonetti remembers. We didn’t have the same capacity to accelerate, nor did we have such technical accuracy.”

"It doesn’t matter who plays"

This season, the Stade Rennais can also count on an enlarged squad. In Ligue 1, 19 players have already taken part in two or more games, 14 have been involved in at least four games. Nearly every position is doubled. “Our main strength is that whoever plays, the team is never weakened”, Jirès Kembo notes. The accumulation of games doesn’t seem to weigh too much in the players’ legs, even though the essential Yann M’Vila suffered of cramps on Sunday. The arrival of more experienced players is completed by young players “a bit more mature”, in Frédéric Antonetti’s words. “The players are one year older, he explains, and they have got a better command of the event and of the emotions, even though some players have been debuting this year again.”

Without Kader Mangane and Chris Mavinga injured, the Stade Rennais won’t have all its defensive forces available this Wednesday to take on a happy-playing Sochaux team. Up to Rennes to show that they can do as well as the 1998-1999 team, the last “Rouge et Noir” squad to have won at the Stade Bonal in the league.

Nicolas Auffray - Le Mensuel de Rennes

- Photo : www.rennes.lemensuel.com