Laborde, Gouiri, Doku, Traoré… Genesio’s full press briefing before Stade Rennes – Brest

Band : Arnaud Kalimuendo is still in treatment. Jérémy Doku will be absent, who felt a little muscle discomfort, and will not be in the group. Steve Mandanda was already in the squad at Lens. We will make the decision tonight or tomorrow to find out if he will start or not. Lovro Majer will be in the group, with a mask.

Doku: We must wait for examinations to find out more about the duration of his absence. But on the other hand we know that he will not be present tomorrow.

Kalimuendo: We hope he can be there for Fenerbahçe (September 15), more likely for Marseille (September 18).

Analysis after Lens: She hasn’t changed much. The first half was very balanced, very tactical, with very few chances on either side, in a fairly closed game. A second period, despite what I had thought, we didn’t start the second half badly because it was us who had the opportunity to open the scoring. We had 10-12-15 minutes of suffering where we conceded two goals and an end of the match where we had to come back to score, with a little more success and good choices. There is defeat, which is never positive, but all the same interesting lessons to be drawn from it, even if I think that we must be able to do both things, that is to say that we little bit the defect when we put the accent on a phase, for example that of recovery, we forget a little bit to play. And when we focus on pressing and attacking play, we forget a little about defending. It’s a little bad for our team at the start of the season. And that’s where we have to make progress. I find that in the first half, we hampered the Lensoise team rather well, which was the objective, but that we did not use the ball well enough when we recovered it when it was there were possibilities to hurt them much more. This is my analysis of the game, but there is also the reaction to 0-2 which is a bit new. We tended to suffer when we were behind, as was the case in Lens. There was a real reaction there, and I think we deserved to come back to the score. All in all, it would have been a more logical outcome.

Difficult finish: It is surprising. We are the team that recovers the most balls high on the pitch, the one that touches the most balls in the opposing area with Paris, the one that hits the most on goal with Paris, and we have trouble achieving it. I think there’s also the trust that maybe a bit, for what reasons I don’t know, faded. We have to find what we saw at the end of the match, a little more freedom and enthusiasm, forward play, risk taking.

Errors in defense: This is the other striking stat of this start to the season. Here again, it takes time for players who arrived quite late in this position to erase all that, perhaps also to be more confident. These two stats are costing us at least 4 points at the start of the season, which would completely change our analysis today. That’s why I take a step back from on-the-spot analysis, very often linked to the result and not to an objective analysis of the match.

Brest who lost 0-7: For us this is not a good thing. I know Michel well, I know that he has tightened the bolts well since this match. I expect a very very difficult match, with a team that has the qualities to counter us, speed. Not at all what I would prefer. I would have preferred them to win and be better than after a 7-0 loss. After us, we don’t necessarily prepare our matches according to the opponent’s result, but according to what we want to do. Of course in relation to the qualities of the opponent, but also and above all not in relation to our game. It is in our game that we must improve.

End of transfer window: It’s rather relieving.

Laborde in the group: Yes, he will play.

Entrance to Laborde opposite Lens: Not just his, by the way. His yes, I really liked Kamaldeen’s, Biggy’s too, even if it’s less visible because it’s a more defensive position. I found that to be rather interesting. That too is something that reassures me somewhere. I know it’s not easy for players who aren’t just starting out or don’t play a lot to stay focused and 100% focused. The entries were decisive in this match. They could have been even more so since it is also Matthis (Abline) who gives the goal ball to Gaëtan (Laborde) even if Gaëtan is going to get it. It’s interesting to see that the 4-5 players who came back were interesting.

Contribution of Laborde (experience, aggressiveness): It doesn’t have to be just one player. It is a state of mind that we must have collectively. It is perhaps also on this that we must find our virtues.

Departure from Laborde: When you are in my situation, that of coaches today, we are all exposed to arrivals, departures. We know that a lot of things can happen until Thursday. There is always the will of the club, of the player, lots of things that come into play. You have to take all these elements into account, and make the right decisions, and decide at some point because our job is to decide.

Midfielder : I also said that to recruit you have to find the player who will bring added value to the team. If we recruit to say “we recruited”, it is an announcement effect, it is not interesting. We know that at the end of the transfer window, it is difficult to make good moves. The very good players, I’m not sure the clubs want to let them go, unless there’s a big big offer. The closer you get to the end, the harder it is to get it.

Get used to the idea that no midfielder will be recruited: Yes, I get used to that idea. As I said, we have to move forward. If we spend our time saying “we could have, we should have”, we can cry over our fate. I can cry over my fate saying “I wanted this, I didn’t get it”, it’s useless. We didn’t have the opportunities, or some didn’t want to come. That’s how it is, you have to accept it. You also have to see what is good. We re-signed players who were important players. We have a workforce that holds up. We showed that last season. We have to move forward with this squad, make the team progress, because we need it. It’s our job, we’re used to that normally. I’m more in that state of mind than saying to myself “I would have liked to have so and so, so and so”. It’s like that, it’s the transfer window that has been like that this year.

Midfield search less necessary if Rennes plays in 4-4-2: Absolutely, good point. It is also an element that comes into play because we can think that we will have a squad with efficient axial players, and which can lead us to play more often in 4-4-2.

Mercato not perfect: It’s like that, there are very few clubs that have a perfect transfer window that corresponds to what they wanted to do. We can see, there are plenty of other clubs struggling, it’s difficult. I am part of a club, I am with the people who decide in solidarity, I decide myself too. The important thing is to move forward together, with the players, because they are the most important. I have a group of players that I trust. We know that we have things to improve, collectively, individually. We also know that we showed character, that we show it at the start of the season, despite a start not waiting with what we wanted. I am confident for the future.

Group experience / Executives: Some players have to take over too. This is also the story of a group. There are departures of important players, players who stay who were there last season who also have to assume a different and additional status. It is not about assuming the right status to renegotiate a contract or a revaluation. It must also be assumed in the field and in leadership. I also expect certain players to take on this responsibility, and they are capable of it. I trust them, otherwise we wouldn’t have done everything to keep them here. It’s the life of a club. I think that more and more there will be a lot of movement in the workforce, because it’s a bit like what we experience every day. Maybe that’s what we also need to have yet another questioning. You have to adapt to all that.

Departure Traoré: For the moment it is not topical, in any case I have no information in relation to that.

Start of the season linked to the transfer window: I wouldn’t put everything on it, it would be too simple, and I wouldn’t quite compare the start of last season to this year. In terms of points yes, we can compare it. But I think we are a little more advanced in the game this year. With a little more success without necessarily playing a better match than what we did, we could just as well have between 2 and 4 more points, which would give us a vision of our start to completely different season. For me it’s a bit like two comparable starts to the season, even if in terms of points it is. There are 20 clubs, the 20 clubs are disrupted by the transfer window. Those in front are those who have been the least disturbed perhaps, at least one can think so.

The borders : For the moment, there is no departure. I told you, he’ll be playing tomorrow so he’s here until further notice. Afterwards, there are proposals that cannot be refused, opportunities that cannot be refused. We’ll see after the game. The most important thing is that he plays a good match tomorrow as he made a good comeback at Lens, that he scores, for him, for us, and we’ll see afterwards. My wish ? The will is always also linked to the will of the player. It is not just the will of the coach, the club or the player. It’s a set of things that must be taken into account, and when the two or three parties want it to happen or don’t want it, we make the decision. Afterwards, as I told you, we have to decide, and assume our decision, us, him, then afterwards we will see what happens (smiles).

Gouiri: He’s a player I knew at Lyon, who is obviously a good player, who I know well. And I appreciate all the good players so he’s someone who has a lot of qualities, great potential, a little more in difficulty in Nice for some time, but who remains a very, very great potential. Someone who can play 4-4-2? Yes.

Theate / raise: He had already faced Ajaccio on 2-3 shifts. He is able to do it. He too must gain confidence, he too is a brand new player who also needs a little time to assimilate what I am asking of him, which is a little different from what he was asked to do in Bologna. And that he can find his marks in this team, that’s normal.

Next two matches: It is sure that if we had the happiness to take 3 points tomorrow, then we will see afterwards for that of Sunday, that would be a good start. We need to be reassured, and nothing better than to chain positive results and in particular victories. There is a series of many matches until the break, I will need all my squad. There will be a lot of rotations, changes. This is where we can better assess our strength and the value of this group.

Badé / Rodon: It is not only in this position that there will be changes, that there may be changes, sorry.