Sochaux kicked off their 2023-2024 season in the French National with a 2-0 loss away from home to Red Star FC. Les Lionceaux, who were relegated to France’s third tier this summer due to financial issues, conceded twice in the first 10 minutes of the match before bouncing back and showing some promise in the second half. Oswald Tanchot’s squad lined up in a 4-1-4-1 formation using a possession-based style of play and slow build up out of the back, while Habib Beye’s Red Star FC presented themselves in a 3-5-2 formation with a possession-based style of play and relied on their wingers to find the likes of N’doye and Ifnaoui in the area.
Ratings:
- A1 – Very good, could play higher
- A2 – Strong potential to play higher
- B1 – Good, strong player at level
- B2 – Potential to be a strong player at level
- C – Average for the level, rewatch
- D – Below average in this match
Allan Ackra
Player Profile:
- Nationality: French-Ivorian
- Age: 19
- Date of birth: 24/02/2004
- Club: Sochaux
- Career: Reims, Sochaux
- Position: Defensive midfielder
- Preferred foot: Right
Allan Ackra played as a defensive midfielder in Sochaux’s 4-1-4-1 formation against Red Star FC. While his height information isn’t available, the French-Ivorian appears to have the same height as Sochaux defender Thomas Fontaine, standing at 1.82m and has a slim build. Despite his height, Ackra displayed good agility with quick turns and runs past players on a couple of occasions. He also showed good balance on the ball, demonstrating that he could maneuver past players without losing control. In addition, Ackra has a decent speed over a medium distance and showed that he has good stamina and defensive work rate in the 78 minutes that he played. One area where the midfielder could improve in is his strength, as there were a couple of times where he was pushed off the ball by Red Star players.
From a technical perspective, Ackra displayed great ball control and receiving skills, handling possession well under pressure by oncoming Red Star players. He also showed that he has a good range of passing, displaying both his short and long passing. He had several long passes to Sochaux’s wingers in this game that could have led to goal scoring opportunities. He’s not scared to get into aerial duels, having won a few in midfield. He can improve his tackling though as he seemed shy to get into a few tackles early in the match, but as the game went on, he started to engage and won some key challenges.
From a tactical perspective, Ackra demonstrated good positioning and tactical understanding throughout the match, covering the space in between Sochaux’s midfield and defense well. He also showed that he has good vision, with his ability to spot players with his long passes or switching of play.
Lastly, from a psychological perspective, Ackra displayed a good confidence and composure about him in his match. He showed good awareness, constantly scanning around him without the ball to know where he is and where players are around him. He could work on his decision making as he had a couple of misplaced passes during the game, but I believe this was a slight blip and shouldn’t take away from his overall performance. His aggression can be improved, as there were several times where he seemed shy to get into a tackle early on but got better as the match went on.
Rating – A2
I thought Ackra played really well in this game and he was one of the best (if not the best) players on the pitch for Sochaux in this match. Subbed off at 78th minute, he demonstrated a good match in the center of the park and was well composed in tight areas against a tough Red Star FC side. I would like to keep a close eye on him and I think the natural progression for him would be to move up to Ligue 2 if he keeps up these performances this season. He’s a positive player and one to watch this season in the National.
N’dri Koffi
Player Profile:
- Nationality: French-Ivorian
- Age: 21
- Date of birth: 09/03/2002
- Club: Sochaux
- Career: Laval, Reims, Paços de Ferreira, Le Mans, Sochaux
- Position: Striker
- Preferred foot: Right
N’dri Koffi played as a striker in Sochaux’s 4-1-4-1 formation against Red Star FC. It was hard to write much about Koffi because he didn’t see too much action in a match where Sochaux had few concrete opportunities. Standing at 1.88m and a slim build, Koffi showed that he has a good burst of acceleration with the ability to run past players when receiving the ball on the wing. He also has a good stamina, showing that he could keep up with the pace of the match throughout the 90 minutes. He displayed a good work rate defensively, tracking back on several occasions to help win the ball back. He could work on his balance and strength however, as there were times where he got pushed off the ball easily.
From a technical perspective, Koffi showed his ability to receive well and demonstrated good hold up play with his back to goal as he tried to serve as a pivot for other Sochaux players. He showed good short passing and had a couple of long passes where he switched play. He is good in his aerial duels and won several headers against Red Star players. He also showed that he has good dribbling and ball control in the rare touches that he had either centrally or on the wing.
Lastly, from a tactical perspective, he could improve in his pressing, as there were several occasions where he didn’t press the opposition enough, allowing them to build out of the back with ease. He could also improve in his movement as there were times where he could have ran into space to receive a pass or positioned himself better in the area but didn’t do so. He did show good vision though, spotting players and switching play on a couple of occasions.
Rating – B2
There wasn’t too much to say about Koffi in this match. He had a shot in the first half that forced the keeper into a diving save, but other than that he didn’t get too many touches on the ball. He did a lot of tracking back to try and win the ball back. I would need to see him in another match, but I did see glimpses of promise especially with the opportunity he had in the first half and his pace and dribbling in the second half. He has the potential to be a good player in the National, but has some work to do in order to get there. Alternatively, he would fit well in MLS Next Pro or the Canadian Premier League.