“It’s always a match with a special flavor. The first leg allowed us to start a streak. I hope it will be the same this time.” Frédéric Antonetti is clear. OGC Nice can and must take the three points against their Monégasque neighbors in the derby. It’s an opportunity to bounce back. The last victory isn’t so far away (2-1 on February 14 in Le Mans) but the Eaglets haven’t won at Ray Stadium since January 17 against Auxerre (2-0). It goes without saying that there is a growing urgency, and the fans are likely to become impatient if the team loses again at home. “We need to reconcile with our fans,” confides the Gym’s coach. And that will require a victory against Monaco after a less-than-glorious exit from the French Cup at Stade Louis II.
However, it won’t be so simple for the people of Nice. Firstly, because Ricardo’s players, although twelfth with 29 points, are concerned with staying up and are coming off a good draw snatched in stoppage time against Saint-Etienne. Secondly, because Nice’s gameplay is not exactly dazzling at the moment, “especially after our completely failed match at Sochaux last Saturday,” the coach added.
Mirroring their striker Loïc Rémy, who has only scored once in open play in the last thirteen matches, OGCN is struggling to find the back of the net and rarely creates enough chances.
“We are at the beginning of a cycle.”
For the past month and a half, the Eaglets have been stuttering in their football. There is no doubt that the defeats in the French Cup and the League Cup have affected the morale of the island coach’s squad. The group really believed, three years later, they could make it to Stade de France but were thwarted by Vannes.
And then the defeats began. Against Rennes, the last home match, the Eaglets failed to keep the ball. Worse, imprecise, they often gave it away to the opponents far too quickly. “We are going through a rough patch but it’s common for many teams in the league,” claims Fred Antonetti. “We need to be patient. We are in the beginning of a cycle, in reconstruction. Imagine Rémy, Apam,… in two and a half years. Imagine them in the previous group,” he continues, before concluding: “For now, only the Monaco match interests me. We need to deliver a complete performance. Be strong in offensive and defensive plays, in ball recovery, in advancing…”
Exactly the problems at the moment!
