« We won’t be ready in time »
After the defeat against Brest in the last friendly, Frédéric Antonetti is in doubt. The Stade Rennais manager is convinced his team won’t be at its full potential for the restart of the Ligue 1 season. Mainly because of recurrent problems in front of the goals, but also due to the absence of several player.
« I know it already. We won’t be ready for the first League game », Frédéric Antonetti is irritated. After the friendly game between Rennes & Brest, the Stade Rennais coach was releasing his disappointment in the Combourg Stadium corridors. After three friendlies, Frédéric Antonetti doesn’t need the next three to realise his team won’t be 100% ready to play Lille on August 7th.
Recurring problems in front of the goal
What he saw on Wednesday was not enough to convince him. Yes, Rennes was on top and playing much better than Brest over most of the game, but the Corsican is angry: «At half-time, we should have been leading 2-0. The players, all of them, need to realise. » The team’s usual faults haven’t disappeared in a few weeks’ holidays. The attacking problems in particular. In his rant, Antonetti quotes Mourinho. Just as the new Real Madrid manager, he doesn’t want players «that need eight chances to score ». Instead, he asks for «a goal every three attempts ».
Absences
Rennes will also be penalised by the absence of several players. « On August 7th, I’ll probably have four men missing», Antonetti counts. Apam the new recruit in central defence is just back to training. He’s been jogging besides the squad’s training since a few days. This is enough to think his partnership with Kader Mangane will not be immediately perfect. As for Asamoah Gyan, he’s still to come back after the World Cup. The Ghanaian will come back having missed the whole pre-season preparation. He will certainly be lacking pace for a few weeks. As for Montaño, the warrior and the indefatigable M’Vila, they will be banned for this game as a consequence of cards received last season.
Last but not least for Antonetti: About ten new players joined the squad, and some key players left in the same time. «There have been many changes. As opposed to last year, we’re entering a new cycle. We will need a few weeks to find a complete balance in the team. Nevertheless, we will have to find a way to win games…»
Benjamin Keltz - Le Mensuel de Rennes
Photos : www.lemensuelderennes.fr