Sometimes shaken by their Bordeaux opponent, the very young eleven of Lucien Favre held strong, with an excellent Benitez and – finally – some luck.
Already deprived of Dante (suspended) and Balotelli (suffering from soreness), Lucien Favre decided to rest four other starters from the match played 72 hours earlier in the frigid Moscow. As a result, the starting eleven for the Gym showcased a new and very youthful face (22 years average age), with the first start in attack for Ihsan Sacko, the winter transfer window recruit.
Fatigued, reshuffled, rejuvenated, Lucien Favre’s team was guilty of some inaccuracies in the early build-up which were not capitalized on by the Bordelais. The Aiglons even managed to create the first chance of the game with a shot from Plea, well set up by Sacko, just wide of Costil’s goal.
Not having much luck lately, the Gym was finally able to enjoy a bit of success this Sunday afternoon. When it wasn’t Benitez, imperious in front of Braithwaite (14th) or De Préville (65th), the goalposts of the Argentine keeper came to the rescue, on strikes from Meïté (12th), De Préville (14th) or late in the game on a deflection from Baysse (90th) then a missile from De Préville (91st).
Offensively, Alassane Plea, as usual, worked hard and could have opened the score on a cross from Lees-Melou but the Nice number 14 was just a size off to connect (30th). The end of the match was more complicated for the Niçois who no longer weighed offensively but who obtained an excellent share of the points given the circumstances, against a direct opponent. A point that will need to be capitalized on next Friday against Lille (7 PM at the Allianz Riviera) to start a climb up the rankings.
REACTION OF LUCIEN FAVRE
“It’s a very good point. Bordeaux hit the posts 4 times, while we had two chances. Apart from those shots on the goalpost, we hardly conceded any other chance. We had too many ball losses when under pressure. There was a lack of pace in our movements and technical issues. We expected a tough match. Given all the changes, this draw is fair. However, I am not blind to the technical and tactical work we need to do to put more threat on the opponent. Our recent performances have been very decent despite the losses at Dijon and against Lokomotiv. We did some good things in those matches, but we lacked consistency over the whole 95 minutes. I will have to repeat once again, but it was a season that was predicted to be difficult from the start, and it is. In terms of play lately it was not bad, although today I am aware it wasn’t great at all. But at least everyone worked hard, especially on defensive runs. We made some positioning errors that allowed Bordeaux to have chances, but for once we had some luck and this 0-0 is positive.”
REACTION OF ADRIEN TAMEZE
“They hit the posts quite a few times, today it went our way, we’ll take it. It’s always important to keep a clean sheet. We had a long trip to Moscow, it wasn’t easy. There were quite a few changes, but the newcomers proved they could play by bringing back this point. They were in a positive spiral since their coaching change, and it was important not to lose to a direct competitor.”
REACTION OF JEAN-VICTOR MAKENGO
“We had a somewhat complicated match, the sequence was quite difficult after Moscow. We come out with a draw, and every point is worth taking. We endured the opponent’s assaults, but we stayed solid and had the right mindset not to concede any goals. It worked in our favor today. We are still in the running, and we will do everything to reverse the trend and reconnect with success.”
