Without ever truly wanting it, the Aiglons were defeated at Geoffroy-Guichard during an average match.
The exploit in Amsterdam already seems far away. Against Ajax, Nice wasn’t necessarily dazzling. But the circumstances and the dips in energy of the young Amsterdam side favored the Gym. Yesterday in Saint-Étienne, such a performance would not pass. And that’s what happened.
From the fourth minute, Saint-Étienne found the key with a perfectly executed play, with Hamouma providing the momentum, and a precise cross from Tannane for the goal by Jonathan Bamba, who returned from a loan at Angers last season (4th minute).
High pressing, smooth ball exits, Saint-Étienne really charmed, despite a physical drop in the second half. Nice did not take advantage, showing less desire compared to their usual play. The absence of Seri, suspended, was surely a factor. So was Balotelli’s, despite Pléa’s good groundwork.
Nice had very few chances to get their teeth into. Eysseric narrowly missed an equalizer (14th minute) and a strike from Lees-Melou didn’t trouble Ruffier. In the second half, Marcel also tried his luck, without success.
Was it the energy left in the Amsterdam battle? The European tension and the energy spent to earn a Champions League playoff against the great Napoli? Was it the desire of the Saint-Étienne players, often very low on the field but keen to make an impact in duels and speed in offensives? Was it simply a bad day? The answer is likely to be found at the intersection of all these hypotheses. On the field, only Arnaud Souquet seemed to be up to the match. Valentin Eysseric already sees himself at Fiorentina (after a good match against Amsterdam), Pierre Lees-Melou is still a bit green, as is Rémi Walter. Malang Sarr once again struggled on the left flank, with Lucien Favre insisting on playing him on the side, which is not his position.
Despite a significant possession advantage (58% overall), Nice never really troubled the Saint-Étienne side. A bad omen, knowing that a major Champions League playoff is approaching, and that even against Ajax, the Gym was physically challenged. The appearances of Adrien Tamèze and Jean-Victor Makengo were among the few satisfactions at the end of the match, even if they impacted the game too little.
Jean-Pierre Rivère announced new recruits for the week. Hopefully, they will bring some physicality and experience to a team that urgently needs it.
WORDS, WORDS…
Dante: “It was quite a difficult and rather peculiar match to play because they were all behind the ball. It’s certain that this isn’t the result we wanted. We conceded that goal quickly in the match (in the 4th minute) and it put us in difficulty, but we tried until the end to stick to our game. We had ball possession and controlled this match, but couldn’t come back. Fatigue? Sure, we had the European Cup, but the series of matches is not an excuse, it’s up to us to adapt: that’s what high level is about!”
Lucien Favre: “Offensively we lacked impact. Saint-Etienne is a very well-organized team in a 4-1-4-1 setup where all 11 defend. It’s very difficult to find spaces and possibilities to penetrate their defense. It’s very athletic, very strong, there are many tall players. It wasn’t a bad performance, we had the possession, but it has to be productive, we must accelerate at the right moment. We conceded a goal quickly, it also changes the dynamic of the match.”
A LITTLE STAT ON THE WAY?
58: Like the percentage of ball possession in favor of the Nicene team. A very high average but barren given the final result.
