Two huge balls in Angers, a non-match against Reims and a slap in the face in Marseille. The last three meetings of Stade Rennais in Ligue 1 have not really delighted its supporters. If we remove the benefits against Tottenham or Rosenborg in the Europa League Conference, the results of the season are even starved. With five points in six games and only three goals scored, Bruno Genesio’s side are clearly out of the game. And especially far from his ambitions displayed by a transfer window of 80 million euros. This Wednesday at 7 p.m., the Bretons receive the promoted Clermont to hope to revive.
The statistics speak for themselves. Since returning to the top flight in 1994, Stade Rennais has always won at home against teams who were just discovering the first division. That is to say twelve victories in twelve matches, as noted by Rouge Mémoire. Will they confirm the stat’ce Wednesday? “In any case, this match will allow us to quickly revive. We have the chance to go on to get our heads right, ”said Gaëtan Laborde. The former Montpellier striker has yet to score in Ligue 1 with Rennes. But he is not the only culprit. For now, only Guirassy, Sulemana and Terrier, who will be back from injury, have planted a pawn this season. Don’t look, no one does worse in L1. Even Metz and Sainté, who still haven’t won, have stacked twice as much.
Hey @Rennais Stadium today we will have to move our ass and “give everything”
You are the one who created this slogan, right? It’s time to take it on! #SRFC– Breizh Rouge (@BreizhRougeSRFC) September 22, 2021
Appointed at the bottom of last season after the departure of Julien Stéphan, Bruno Genesio refuses to talk about the crisis in Rennes. “We must not fall into catastrophism. Having tough times is part of club life. We have all already known these moments ”, relativizes the coach, whose career at OL has not always been flourishing. But more than the results or the number of goals planted, it is more the project that questions. Or rather the absence of a project. With its XL recruitment this summer, Rennes “forgot” to recruit a central defender and suffers terribly. Deprived of Jérémy Doku and Martin Terrier, the team seems to move forward without an idea and is struggling to identify an identity.
We are not the only ones to make this observation. In the press room, opinions converge. And many supporters have expressed the same concerns. “We have a young team and we are not technically good enough. But I feel that this team is ready to fight. We discuss a lot, we are creating something rather good, ”promises Gaëtan Laborde who insists on one point. “We are sorely lacking in success. We must break this mechanism. I’m sure this difficult moment will serve us well later in the season. I am convinced of it. “
“The older I get, the more difficult it is for me to accept defeat”
His coach shares the same opinion and points to “the lack of efficiency in both surfaces”, believing that his midfielder is playing rather fair. Before warning, a few hours from an already crucial meeting against Clermont. “They are promoted but have made a good start to the season. But they are only four points away from us. This match is very important. It can involve a lot of things for the future, in one direction or the other ”. On the networks, some do not hesitate, already, to ask for the resignation of the coach. “The older I get, the harder it is to accept defeat,” warns Pep Genesio. The players are warned.