In quite a slow paced game, neither side were able to get a foothold within the game. Lille finished as 1-0 winners through a Bamba goal. Neither side were able to create much, Lille had a good spell at the end where they could have secured the win but before that Reim and Lille had taken 9 shots between them, only one of which came before half time and that was the goal. They were largely forced to shoot from range. Lille struggled to penetrate and lacked a spark or runners in the final third and Reim found it easy to force them backwards. Reim played in a 4-3-3 which was fairly flexible.
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
Ghislain Konan
Player profile:
- Nationality: Ivorian
- Age: 24
- Date of birth: 27/12/1995
- Current Club: Reims
- Career: Vitoria Guimaraes, Reims
- Position: Left Back
- Preferred foot: Left
Playing at left back, Konan had a strong performance. He had a high position in buildup and received the ball well, using feints to create space and reduce pressure. He had good dribbling from deep, able to carry the ball down his wing and had good control and reactions to weave. He was constantly on the move, looking to under or overlap and link with Cafero to progress the ball and give forward options. Looked to pass and move which worked well at times down the wing.
He was calm under pressure and although he took on defenders and didn’t always beat them he never gave away dangerous chances. He worked hard and tracked back well, although was missing one time at the end of the game. Konan did well under pressure, got his head up well and received switches of play well also. He put in some good crosses from just outside the box with good whip and got to the byline a few times but wasn’t able to get the ball into dangerous areas.
Defensively he did well 1v1, showing good footwork and timing on the tackle. He got tight to his man and pressed out of the line well to pressure the opposition winger and force Lille backwards. He pressed well to limit the opposition and force them backwards, not just to win the ball. Overall a strong game from the well rounded full back.
Rating – A2
Wout Faes
Player profile:
- Nationality: Belgian
- Age: 22
- Date of birth: 03/04/1998
- Current Club: Reims
- Career: Anderlecht, SC Heerenveen (L), Excelsior (L), Oostende, Reims
- Position: Centre Back
- Secondary position: Defensive Midfield, Right Back
- Preferred foot: Right
The Belgian started as the right centre back. He was calm on the ball with nice, smooth passing in the buildup. He carried into space well and made some nice passes down the right to progress the ball. He hit a few decent long balls but they didn’t come off.
In defence he made some important interventions. He dropped back to make a good headed clearance and made several important tackles covering across. He positioned himself and read danger to come across to tackle or intercept. He put good pressure from out of the defensive line onto attackers receiving between the lines and put his body in well.
But he was dragged out of the line too easily, attracted to the ball and at times needed to be more disciplined. He is okay physically and is an area to develop and wasn’t that good or aggressive in the air. His marking was lacking at times and needed to be better. He also let a long ball bounce and missed the clearance and forced the keeper to intervene. Overall a fairly good performance with some good signs and could take time to adapt to the level after several years in Belgium and the Netherlands.
Rating – A2
El Bilal Touré
Player profile:
- Nationality: Malian / Ivorian
- Age: 18
- Date of birth: 03/10/2001
- Current Club: Reims
- Career: Reims
- Position: Striker
- Secondary position: Right Wing
- Preferred foot: Both
Toure had a quiet game were he was very isolated up front and had very little of the ball. His frustration was showing towards the end of the game before being subbed off in the 76th. He made some okay runs behind but Reim weren’t able the create any chances from them and at times he could have dropped between the lines to link with the midfield more. Before being subbed off he drifted more, including to the right wing to try and get the ball more. His holdup play was okay and spread play nicely one time but didn’t do it enough.
In the box he tried to position himself well in front of the defender but he could have times his movement better. He also had a goal disallowed as the assister was offside, but he still finished the easy chance with a calm, well-hit first time finish. After an excellent opening day performance, he will be disappointed with today’s game but was a tough one for him and one to learn from.
Rating – B2
Dario Maresic
Player profile:
- Nationality: Austrian
- Age: 20
- Date of birth: 29/09/1999
- Current Club: Reims
- Career: Sturm Graz, Reims
- Position: Centre back
- Preferred foot: Either
Maresic played this game as right back in their back four, he’s naturally a left sided centre back who suits a back three. A shift to a full back role makes sense for him as he lacks the physicality to compete as a top level centre back, for now at least. A move to right/left back could be an important shift for him, but today he looked very uncomfortable in the role and will need time to adapt.
He stands at 6’0″ with a fairly slim build and would benefit from putting on some size. In defence he pressed out of the back line well, showing some good anticipation to pressure the ball with good timing and to read danger. He also showed some decent aggression in these challenges. In 1v1s he was patient with decent footwork but needed to be more side on with his body positioning. He made a very good but risky last ditch tackle from behind in the box in the closing stages of the match. He was uncomfortable defending his side when they was a man on his outside in space. His positioning was okay but one time he turned the wrong way and didn’t put enough pressure on the ball. It was his man who scored the only goal of the game. The defender didn’t get tight enough and allowed the attacker a lot of time, he made a good attempt to block the shot but it was allowed through and went in.
He didn’t make darting forward runs and overlaps in the final third, he pushed up and sat as a deeper outlet for when the winger couldn’t go forwards or put the ball in the box. He’s comfortable on the ball but wasn’t very effective with it in higher areas. He put in one inverted cross to the back post which was decent and otherwise did okay to retain possession but not progress it much. He hit a few long balls with nice technique to clip them over the top but the run wasn’t there.
I really like Maresic but he played just a few games last season and needs time to adapt to this new role. He’s only 20 and developing physically is also important. A two footed defender with the fundamentals of defending and good on the ball with a good range of passing but needs to be better in the air and make some better decisions. Great potential but quite a but to improve for now.
Rating – B2
Moreto Cassama
Player profile:
- Nationality: Guinea-Bissau
- Age: 22
- Date of birth: 16/02/1998
- Current Club: Reims
- Career: Sporting Lisbon (Y), FB Porto (Y), Reims
- Position: Centre Midfield
- Secondary position: Right Wing
- Preferred foot: Both
Cassama played as the pivot in the midfield three. He dropped into the back three at times in buildup. He’s only 5’5″ but he uses his low centre of gravity very well. He has great balance and agility and is able to evade pressure well. He received the ball on the turn well, showing quick reactions to keep the ball under pressure. He did take a few heavy touches in midfield though, particularly on loose balls. Despite his height he has some okay muscle mass and although he couldn’t be that physical or aggressive, he held his own well on the ball and used good bursts of pace to get into space.
He had a good range of passing which he used constantly. He was able to switch play nicely to the left wing several times and attempted balls ver the top which didn’t come off on the day. He spread play well and used disguised passes at times.
He worked hard and pressed well, making some good tackles on the left side but didn’t screen the back four much, but did well in the block. Overall a solid game where he controlled it well from deep and progressed the ball well.
Rating – B1
Dereck Kutesa
Player profile:
- Nationality: Swiss
- Age: 22
- Date of birth: 06/12/1997
- Current Club: Reims
- Career: Servette, FC Basel, FC Luzern (L), St. Gallen, Reims
- Position: Left Wing
- Secondary position: Right Wing / Centre Midfield
- Preferred foot: Right
Kutesa started on the right and was substituted off in the 60th minute. Before that he had a fairly quiet game, only having 16 touches of the ball. He was a fairly traditional winger who didn’t get involved in the midfield very much and mostly got the ball on his wing in the final third. He wanted to travel down his wing and drive to the byline. His cutbacks from the byline were blocked though.
He showed decent pace but lacked strength on the ball. He worked hard and tracked back a few times. He tried to run the channels but couldn’t get onto the end of the long passes and his frustration was showing. It was his offside run for the disallowed goal after. It felt like his effort dropped before he came of and let his head drop.
Rating – D
Mathieu Cafaro
Player profile:
- Nationality: French
- Age: 23
- Date of birth: 25/03/1997
- Current Club: Reims
- Career: Toulouse, Reims
- Position: Attacking Midfield
- Secondary position: Right Wing / Left Wing
- Preferred foot: Right
Cafaro started on the left wing and was subbed off in the 60th minute. He has a very slim build with okay pace and acceleration with good agility and was elegant on the ball. He was very right footed and wanted to move inside and move at a diagonal towards goal when he received it out on his wing. He tried to run the channel and carried well on the counter with some good dribbling but didn’t have great pace on the ball.
His work rate dropped off a bit when Reim were out of possession but worked fairly hard when involved in play, wanting to carry forwards. He did well to make a good cross right before the ball went out of play but otherwise didn’t get much chance to attack the box. Overall a quiet game where he carried well a few times but otherwise failed to impact the game.
Rating – D