Rennes still at home in Gerland

- M’Vila fit and ready...
A major concern at La Piverdière this week, Yann M’Vila was indeed present at kick-off in Frédéric Antonetti’s eleven. The French international, having recovered from a neck injury on Tuesday night with his national team to be ready this Friday, benefited of the care from the medical staff to be ready this Friday.
Capping a correct game, the midfielder also managed his second assist of the season on Jirès Kembo’s winning goal. At the same time, he equals his total of last season. His first assist this season had already been offered to Kembo. It was in Sochaux for the sixth Rennes goal, on September 21st (6-2).

- ... not Gonalons :
Ironically, while M’Vila had finally recovered, the man who replaced him on Tuesday had to forfeit for this game. Called by Rémi Garde for this game, Maxime Gonalons was finally forced to watch the game from the stand, suffering with a calf strain. As a result – and since youngster Gueïda Fofana wasn’t on the match sheet either – the Rennes manager was forced to innovate in order to set-up his midfield. Playing lower and lower with the years, Kim Källström started as a defensive midfielder alongside Yoann Gourcuff, the two men composing a very technical pair in this line.
Despite this difficulties, Rémi Garde will be satisfied as he saw both Lisandro Lopez and Michel Bastos return from their respective injuries. Entering the field for the last half an hour, the two players didn’t have a massive impact however, failing to find an equaliser.

- Rennes likes the international breaks :
Since the beginning of this season, the international breaks are highly beneficial to Frédéric Antonetti’s squad. Allowing some of the players to rest, it has to be noted that the games following them are always resulting in good performances by the Rouge et noir.
Mid-September, after the first fifteen days dedicated to the national teams, Stade Rennes had indeed managed to win at the Stade Vélodrome against the Olympique de Marseille at the end of a very intense game (1-0). A month later, same story against Lorient at the Stade de la Route de Lorient following a perfectly controlled game (2-0). Finally, this Friday against Lyon in Gerland, the Rennais have once again given a perfect reply to the challenge offered by their hosts (2-1). It is also interesting to note that Jirès Kembo scored in all of these three games.

- Back to attacking football ?
Discret since nearly two months, Rennes’ attacking play has returned to the front of the scene in Gerland. In all competitions, Frédéric Antonetti’s team had not scored two goals in open play since the large victory in Sochaux (6-2). Only the game won in Lorient had seen the Rennais score two goals in the same game. However, the two goals scored on that night had been scored on set pieces (a direct free-kick and a penalty).
As a symbol of this little resurrection, Julien Féret gave his sixth assist of the season (the fourth in Ligue 1), but only the second in open play. The former Nancy man had not given an assist in the play since… the first game of the season against Rustavi (for Boukari’s second goal). His next four assists were delivered either on free-kicks (twice) or on corners (also twice)
With this total of six assists, Julien Féret catches up with Stéphane Dalmat. At the beginning of the season, the former Sochaux-man had managed five in the Europa League and one in Ligue 1.

- Rennes, the pet peeve of Gerland :
As years go by, Stade Rennes confirms its status of most dreaded team for the Gerland public. The Rouge et Noir have indeed managed seven games on the run without a defeat on the Lyon pitch, with two victories and five draws. The final victory by the Gônes against Stade Rennes at home dates back to the 26th January 2005: goals by Bergougnoux and Govou had given the lead to Paul Le Guen’s Lyon before Monterrubio got one back at the end of the game (1-2).
Over this run of seven games without a defeat, it is the fourth time Stade Rennes concede the first goal, and the first time they win after trailing. Also, the Rouge et Noir can boast after ending more than a year without a defeat for Lyon in Ligue 1 in Gerland, since the last defeat for the “Gones” had been recorded on 25th September 2010 against Saint-Étienne (0-1). Since then, the OL had managed 15 victories and six draws on their pitch in Ligue 1.

- Théophile-Catherine under the threat :
Booked by M. Duhamel during the second half, Kévin Théophile-Catherine has received his second yellow card in two games, after being given one during the previous game week against Valenciennes. Should he receive another yellow card in the next eight Ligue 1 and Coupe de France games, the Rennes full-back would be given a one-match ban.
Two other Rennais are in the same situation: Alexander Tettey, who will be cleared after the next game in Évian ; and Victor Hugo Montaño, who will have to be careful for another five games.

- Rennes managed to change the course of the game :
By winning after conceding the first goal, the Rennais managed an unusual performance looking at their recent seasons. Sure, they have managed it during their trip to Belgrade mid-August (2-1), but it had been a long while since this scenario had not happened in Ligue 1.
Under the management of Frédéric Antonetti, the Rouge et noir had only managed to win once in such a situation. It was on December 12th 2009 in a game on the road in Nancy. On that night, Julien Féret had opened the score for Nancy, but Rennes had managed to win after an own goal by Bakaye Traoré and a superb goal by Sylvain Marveaux. On that night, Jimmy Briand was making his come-back after recovering from a nasty injury suffered in spring 2009.
Since Frédéric Antonetti has been charge in Rennes, the opposite (losing after scoring the first goal) has happened much more often. It happened seven times in all competitions, four times in the cups (in Guingamp and against Reims in 2009-2010, in Udine and in Glasgow in 2010-2011) and three times in Ligue 1 (against Lyon at home in 2009-2010, and against Lorient and Lille in 2010-2011). Some figures proving the unusual character of this Lyon-Rennes.

- Power to the wingers :
Although Montaño remains muted (the Colombian hasn’t scored since Rennes - Atlético Madrid at the end of September), the goals have come from the Rennes wingers this Friday evening.
Having already delivered three assists, Jonathan Pitroipa scored his sixth goal of the season in all competitions, the third in Ligue 1. The Burkinabé had not score in open play since his equaliser during the trip to Belgrade (2-1). This is also the third time Pitroipa scores a goal to equalise for the 1-1. This was already the case against Paris and, as previously mentioned, in Belgrade.
Having scored the winning goal, Jirès Kembo keeps on walking on the clouds. The French-Congolese has now scored seven goals in all competitions (one goal behind Montaño), and six in Ligue 1 (best Rennes goal scorer, two units behind the leaders in the league, Olivier Giroud and Kévin Gameiro). Kembo remains the most efficient forward in the league as long as the goal/minutes ratio is concerned: on average, since the beginning of the season, he has scored a goal every 96 minutes of play.

- Garde sarcastic about M’Vila and Antonetti :
A bad loser, Rémi Garde ? During the post-match press conference, the Lyon manager had a dig at his opponents of the night, continuing the polemic started after the declarations of Patrick Le Lay, Jean-Michel Aulas and Frédéric Antonetti.
Garde reacted with irony to the presence of Yann M’Vila on the pitch, relating it to the absence of Maxime Gonalons. “He didn’t take it easy with the French national team, the Lyon manager affirmed, nearly implying that the Rennais had come out injured in purpose on Tuesday. We pay for it today in terms of the team’s balance […] Next time, I might speak up before the international games, maybe this would be a clever thing to do”. A clear reference to Antonetti’s words, who had asked Laurent Blanc to rest M’Vila during the international break.
In fact – despite his injury on Tuesday – the Rennes has played longer this week than his Lyon counterpart, who replaced him both against the USA and Belgium. M’Vila has indeed totalled 100 minutes on the pitch during this two games, against 80 for Gonalons.

- Antonetti enjoyed an « open game » :
Lively, exciting, nice to follow, this game between Lyon and Stade Rennes satisfied Frédéric Antonetti. «It was a good game, since there was a nice team against us, the Rennes manager underlined. Lyon has got talent but tonight we were better in the play. What I like is that we saw an open game with two teams playing to win, and this made the game interesting. We went from one goal to the other and chances came along. In the second half, we were better in the play and we created good situations for ourselves.”

- A week to confirm :
Fifth before the fourteenth week, Stade Rennes profited of their victory in Gerland to overtake the Lyonnais in the league standings. Now fourth, the Rouge et Noir are tied with Lille in third place, remaining behind them because of a lesser goal difference (+9 against +7).
An unusual fact since the beginning of the season, Frédéric Antonetti and his players will now have a full week to prepare the next game against Évian-Thonon-Gaillard, planned next Saturday at 7:00. A game in which the Stade de la Route de Lorient will see the return of Jérôme Leroy, but also of Cédric Barbosa and Olivier Sorlin, who haven’t returned since several years. Convincing in Gerland, Rennes will now have to do what seems to be the hardest thing for them: to confirm. “The game in Evian will be very different”, Antonetti already promises. It is easy enough to believe him.

- Sources of declarations: ouest-france.fr, lequipe.fr

- Photo: srfc.frenchwill.fr