In what turned out to be a thrilling derby encounter, Stade Rennais snatched all three points thanks to two added time goals that saw them run out 3-2 winners. The first half was a fairly cagey affair as neither team was able to take control of proceedings but the second half exploded into action with five goals, whilst the feistiness of the derby boiled over a couple of times as players squared up to one another – which saw several bookings be given out as a result. After taking the lead thanks to an own goal, Nantes looked to shut up shop by bringing on a central midfielder in place of a striker but their plan were soon thwarted when Rennes were awarded a penalty and scored it on the second time of asking. Nantes responded well by retaking the lead on the counter attack but two goals at the death for Rennes secured the bragging rights.
Rennes set up in a 4-4-2 formation that saw them try to play out from the back and isolate the wingers against the opposition fullbacks or create overloads in wide areas. They struggled to play through the middle at times and defensively despite setting up in a mid-block they became too stretched on occasion to allow gaps to appear between the defence and midfield. In the end, Nantes were probably victims of their own success, taking the lead twice but then continuing to drop deeper and invite pressure which allowed Rennes to commit more numbers to attack and eventually take advantage.
Ratings
- A1 – Very good, could play higher
- A2 – Strong potential to play higher
- B1 – Good, strong player at level
- B2 – Potential to be strong player at level
- C – Average for the level, rewatch
- D – Below average in this match
Player profile:
- Nationality: French
- Age: 21
- Date of birth: 06/07/1998
- Current Club: Stade Rennais
- Career: Nancy, Stade Rennais, Nîmes (L)
- Position: Left Back
- Secondary position: Left Wing
- Preferred foot: Left
Faitout Maouassa put on a very good performance from left back that showed a lot of promise for this future. He was a constant outlet down the left hand side when his team were in possession, making some good long passes into the channels or the strikers’ feet, or creating overloads by finding the winger with a pass and then making an overlapping run. The Frenchman used a great burst of pace when overlapping so as to stretch the opposition defence and put in some dangerous deliveries from wide areas.
His final ball was generally to a decent standard apart from on a couple of occasions where he failed to beat the first man despite being in a dangerous area. He tended to maintain his width and displayed impressive levels of close control to beat his man or retain possession. The 21 year old did hit some loose passes, overhitting a few balls into the channels or finding the touchline instead of the winger, but overall seemed very confident and positive on the ball.
Defensively, the full back did get caught too high up at times and was quite slow when tracking back, relying on his teammates to cover for him. He also made a couple of rash challenges, one from behind that resulted in a yellow card. However, when he was in the right positon to defend, Maouassa was difficult to beat, using good strength and pace to dispossess the opponent and although he only stands at 5’7, he was able to leap high to win aerial battles. These defensive attributes, coupled with his confidence in possession meant that he was often left as the last man when his team had attacking set piece situations as he was able to cover and defend against counter attacks.
Overall, Maouassa had an impressive match, demonstrating high levels of potential but also some areas that could be improved upon as he continues his development.
Rating: A2
Player profile:
- Nationality: French
- Age: 23
- Date of birth: 24/04/1997
- Current Club: Stade Rennais
- Career: Stade Rennais
- Position: Centre Back
- Secondary position: Defensive Midfield / Central Midfield
- Preferred foot: Right
Gelin put on a very good display as Rennes snatched victory at the death. In possession he was very effective at passing out from the back during build up play, cutting a composed figure on the ball and completing 73 of 81 passes in this match, the most of any player on the pitch. He rarely gave away the ball and was happy to make short passes in order to retain possession but also showed his capability to make progressive passes into the strikers or central midfielders, or passes into wide areas to invite the full backs to get forward.
Defensively, Gelin covered for his teammates well and made one very important tackle late on when he was the last man and facing a Nantes counter attack. Despite being a fairly average height for a centre back at 6 foot, he was also dominant in the air, winning some vital aerial battles. Perhaps one area that sometimes let his game down was his reaction speed when getting out to block shots from opposition midfielders who had picked up the ball between the lines, in these situations he showed some indecisiveness between sticking with his man or getting out prevent the shot. However, on the whole Gelin was defensively solid.
Overall, Jeremy Gelin put in a very solid performance at centre back, showing confidence and ability on the ball whilst also being reliable at the back.
Rating: A2
Player profile:
- Nationality: French
- Age: 17
- Date of birth: 10/11/2002
- Current Club: Stade Rennais
- Career: Stade Rennais
- Position: Defensive Midfield
- Secondary position: Central Midfield
- Preferred foot: Left
17 year old Eduardo Camavinga demonstrated great composure for his age as he was heavily involved in what was a heated affair and he showed some real potential despite also understandably seeming a bit raw in some areas. Playing as part of a two man midfield, he struggled with being overrun by Nantes three man midfield and as a result he was caught in possession in some risky areas on a couple of occasions, perhaps showing some naivety by overplaying in the middle of the park.
Asides from this, he was more than capable of having a positive impact when in possession, displaying good levels of vision and creativity to find clever passes into the box or out wide, whilst he was confident when dropping deep to receive the ball off the defenders and linked up well in midfield. The Frenchman was rarely able to carry the ball due to the constant Nantes pressure in central areas, but on the couple of occasions that he was allowed to turn, he drove well from deep to put his team on the front foot.
Defensively, Camavinga was highly influential, disrupting the play well to make tackles and interceptions whilst also providing an aerial presence. Due to his extremely young age, he may not be fully developed physically yet and so can appear quite weak, however, he made up for this using his aggression and body positioning in this game, ensuring that he was between man and ball and that he had a sharp bite in challenges. He also made some important interventions to cover for teammates at times during the game, or stuck out his leg to cut out loose passes. Perhaps he was overly eager to win back possession at times, committing some cynical fouls and getting beaten on a few occasions, furthermore, Rennes’ midfield positioning sometimes allowed too much space in front of the defence which Nantes looked to exploit.
Overall, Camavinga showed real quality at times both in and out of possession yet also displayed some areas of his game which will see improvement as he develops.
Rating: A2
Player profile:
- Nationality: Brazilian
- Age: 23
- Date of birth: 14/12/1996
- Current Club: Stade Rennais
- Career: Avaí (Y), Vitoria Guimarães, Sporting CP, Stade Rennais
- Position: Right Wing
- Secondary position: Left Wing
- Preferred foot: Left
Raphinha had a mixed game out on the right wing for Rennes, displaying some quality pieces of play and scoring twice, but also being kept quiet for long periods and showing some hot-headedness. In possession he constantly looked to isolate the full back and take him on with the ball at his feet. He has a good burst of pace and showed great skill with the ball to beat a man and had a very good first touch, displaying typical Brazilian confidence in possession.
However, when taking on the defender he struggled in this game, frequently being tackled or muscled off the ball and he was unable to deal with the physicality of the left back at times. Raphinha varied between staying high and wide to pin back the full back or he would drift inside into midfield in order to become more involved in the play and cut inside on to his favoured left foot. He made some good runs in behind as well in order to keep defenders on their toes but they rarely amounted to anything. The 23 year old’s final ball was for the most part effective, as he whipped in some dangerous set pieces and played some nice through balls, furthermore, he showed great anticipation for both of his goals as he tapped in rebounds from the goalkeeper’s saves.
Defensively, Raphinha sometimes showed his frustration at being tackled by committing reckless challenges or by taunting the opposition and this eventually ended with him receiving a yellow card. The Brazilian rarely tracked back, preferring to stay high on the right wing but showed good anticipation to close down defenders or chase loose balls.
On the whole, Raphinha provided a threat for Rennes and was one of their primary attacking outlets and despite struggling against the full back in this match, he still managed to have the last laugh by grabbing the winner.
Rating: B1
Player profile:
- Nationality: French
- Age: 23
- Date of birth: 12/06/1996
- Current Club: Stade Rennais
- Career: PSG (Y), Guingamp, Stade Rennais
- Position: Central Midfield
- Secondary position: Defensive Midfield
- Preferred foot: Left
James Lea Siliki had a solid game alongside Camavinga in midfield, before being withdrawn with just over an hour played. On the ball, the midfielder was competent yet unspectacular, finding some clever passes but primarily opting for the easy pass in order to keep possession. When he did try to play more creative passes he had very little success, seeing several of them cut out or going out of play. He rarely drove with the ball but had a solid first touch that set him up well to pass.
Defensively, at 6 foot and with a sturdy build, Lea Siliki is a big physical presence and used his strength well to win or retain possession. Furthermore, he tried hard to cut passing lanes into the Nantes forwards, but similarly to his midfield partner, he was caught too high up on occasion, allowing too much space in behind the Rennes midfield. He also made one very rash challenge from behind for which he was fortunate not to receive a yellow card.
Overall, Lea Siliki put a good shift in for his team, but also made errors in both attack and defence that hindered his performance at times, despite also showing his quality on other occasions during the match.
Rating: B2
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