Jorge Sampaoli: A Revolution Already?
One To Watch
It's early doors, yes, but it's tempting not wonder what the ceiling for Jorge Sampaoli's Stade Rennais side is after this weekend's demolition of AS Saint-Étienne. It's true that Les Verts have been one of the division's worst defences (and indeed one of the worst in Europe) and played nearly an hour with ten men, but his subtle tweaks to the eleven have the potential to pay big dividends, as evidenced by the adjustments made by the newly installed manager.
A talented front three
To be sure, Sampaoli's first match on the Bretons' bench was hardly the Champagne football on show Saturday -- indeed, in a 1-0 loss to LOSC Lille, Rennes managed just a solitary shot on target and lost defender Alidu Seidu for the season with an ACL injury. Lille have been a remarkably strong and consistent side this season, both in Europe and domestically, so there's no shame in losing to Les Dogues, but how he affected a change to this attacking masterclass is key.
Rennes have hardly been shy in splashing the cash in the transfer market under the stewardship of the Pinault family in recent years, but ahead of this season, they were left with a glut of attackers who had evinced talent but in lesser leagues and has no experience in the French top flight -- Jota, Albert Groenbaek and Andrés Gomez chief among these. This isn't to say this trio won't come good, but for attackers hitting the ground running in Ligue 1 McDonald's is far from a given -- often a period of adjustment is needed -- witness the struggles of the likes of Vitinha, Takumi Minamino and Iliman Ndiaye to name a few to settle in France despite having manifested their talent elsewhere.
To combat this on Saturday, Samapaoli selected Arnaud Kalimuendo, Amine Gouiri and Ludovic Blas. All three have proven track records in France, but the latter in particular had been inconsistent under Julien Stéphan, not having found the net in nearly two months. With two assists and a goal, Blas was the star of the show, unleashing his considerable attacking talent with aplomb, while also involving the first two -- Kalimuendo netted a hat trick which doubled his goal return for the season, while Gouiri scored his second goal of the season. All of this trio have been impressive with other clubs and indeed at Rennes, but have looked well off the pace under Stéphan -- this display is perhaps foreshadowing what's to come.
Adjustments for new faces
While Sampaoli has opted for experienced players in attack, he's been unafraid to look to new recruits elsewhere in the team. Summer arrivals Mikayil Faye and Jordan James -- both just 20 -- were given rare starts on Saturday. Part of Faye's inclusion was surely down to the absence of Seidu, but the likes of Adrien Truffert and Baptiste Santamaria, experienced and accomplished Ligue 1 players were left on the bench in favor of the newcomers, underscoring that Sampaoli's energetic style is well-poised to affect change in a challenging situation.
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