Rennes came out as 2-1 winners over Montpellier. They went 1-0 up in the first half through an own goal assisted by the good play of Raphinha. Montpellier went down to 10 men just before half time, by this point Rennes could have been up by three or four after missing several good chances and striking the post. Rennes switched off a bit in the second half but Montpellier weren’t able to get a foothold in the game. Rennes also got a red card, the game to 10v10, this also happening in Rennes season opener vs Lille. Camavinga put them up 2-0 with an excellent goal. Montpellier got one back in stoppage time with a good header but weren’t able to salvage any points.
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
Eduardo Camavinga
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
Camavinga gave an impressive, well rounded display in a more advanced role than I expected. Playing alongside N’Zonzi allowed him to push forward more and he got forward a lot more than when I previously watched him. The 17 year old is a calm, elegant presence in midfield. He makes everything look easy, spreading play with ease. His passing was good, using different parts of the foot well but rarely using his right, but wasn’t the most expansive and didn’t test his range.
He regularly drifted into the half spaces on either side to link with the winger or full back. His goal came from drifting to the left and then driving inside into the box, letting the ball run with his head up and using feints to plant the defender before a good finish to the far post.
He made some good forward runs into pockets of space and often carried at the defence on the counter. His dribbling was good and used feints constantly but didn’t show much speed with the ball. He was also fouled several times. Although a very elegant player, he was possibly too casual when receiving at times. He took a few heavy touches and lost the ball as he received it several times and could have improved his awareness. He stands at 6′ with an okay build but showed good strength on the ball and used his body well.
Defensively Camavinga was very good. He pressed the wide areas of midfield well, making a lot of tackles, usually going out for throw ins however. He uses his body well and showed great anticipation to be well positioned and put in well-timed tackles to break up Montpellier attacks. He read danger well and wasn’t to position himself accordingly.
Rating – A1
Brandon Soppy
Player profile:
- Nationality: French
- Age: 18
- Date of birth: 21/02/2002
- Current Club: Stade Rennais
- Career: Stade Rennais
- Position: Right Back
- Preferred foot: Right
Soppy made his senior debut off the bench last week due to a red card, because of that same suspension he gained his full debut in this match from right back. The French U18 international gave a very assured and confident performance, not looking out of place at all in the Rennes side who are competing in the Champions League for the first time this season.
Standing at 6′ with a solid, lean build he was physical on and off the ball. He got between the opposition and the ball well, using his body effectively and showing good strength to shield the ball and stop the opposition. He regularly did this, either seeing loose balls out of play or protecting it before looking to play. However, he did try it one time where there was too much space ahead of him and the opposition was able to just run a larger loop around him to get the ball and cross.
He could have closed down his winger quicker at times and gotten tighter. When play came down his side and there was less space he was a lot tighter to his man and was able to track them well, making it hard to receive the ball. He made some strong tackles with good controlled aggression, leading the game for tackles.
He had a good powerful burst of speed and was able to carry into space well. His passing had good weight and he played a few good passes to start counter attacks from tight spaces. He could have shaped himself better when receiving a few times but did okay in buildup overall. A very promising full debut.
Rating – A2
Raphinha
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 started on the right but switched between the wings throughout. The winger is very left footed but varied his game, hugging the sideline at times in buildup but also able to cut inside from the right well or find pockets of space in the half spaces.
He worked hard off the ball, tracking back when needed. He was agile with good sharp turns and changes of direction. He only completed 15 of his 26 pass attempts and lost the ball in general for his team quite a bit. He was a threat going forward, especially on the break when he could run at the defence and attack space. He was more effective on the right where he could drive forwards and arc his run inside and look for cut backs. The first goal was a Raphinha cutback put in the net by a defender. He used the outside of his his left for the cutback as he isn’t comfortable with his right.
In slower phases of play against the block he was less effective and his decision making could be a little slow and his passes into the box weren’t coming off. His did some good set pieces deliveries too as well as hitting the ball with a free kick. Overall, he was a threat at times but needed to be one more consistently and impact the game a little more.
Rating – B2
Nayef Aguerd
Player profile:
- Nationality: Moroccan
- Age: 24
- Date of birth: 30/03/1996
- Current Club: Stade Rennais
- Career: FUS Rabat, Dijon, Stade Rennais
- Position: Centre Back
- Preferred foot: Left
The new signing had a decent game as the left centre back. He has a very slim build with long legs standing at 6’2″. He lacked aggression and could have been more assertive. He showed good defensive positioning though, able to move to cut out crosses and throughballs well. In 1v1s he was patient and showed good footwork, but could have been more physical with the opposition and imposed himself more.
On the ball, he stroked his passes well and spread the ball wide, playing simple passes into midfield or into the left back but didn’t progress the ball massively. He carried the ball into space when possible and showed good composure under pressure to keep the ball. He also missed a free header on a corner which was a huge chance to put his team ahead.
Overall, he came across as a calm but quiet centre back who is good at defending space and an intelligent player with decent on the ball ability but could have been better physically and more confident and louder.
Rating – B2
Faitout Maouassa
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
Playing at left back Maouassa had a fairly quiet game. He got the ball less than the rest of the defence and didn’t tend to do much with it. He’s 5’7″ with a quite stocky build and was quite a quiet player. He was comfortable on the ball and was happy to drive forwards down the wing. He had okay pace with good changes of speed. He put in a few okay crosses which created some okay chances. He also got the assist for the winner with a simple return pass inside to Camavinga who was making the run from the half space.
He wasn’t very physical but saw the ball out well and shielded it well. He stayed on his feet well and was able to get between the man and the ball, and with his low centre of gravity was hard to compete against. He also put in a powerful long shot which forced a save but otherwise had a fairly quiet game where I don’t have much else to say but he didn’t really put a foot wrong.
Rating – B2