Franck Haise makes his mark at Rennes
With two wins in his first two games, it hasn't taken the returning Franck Haise long to make his mark at Stade Rennais.
Consistent choices and a formation shift
This is a Rennes team that was built to play with a three-man defence, and under Habib Beye, now at Marseille, they did. Results were mixed, however. It was a slow start, even if the Breton club rarely lost, with Les Rennais registering six draws in eight matches between the end of August and the end of October. It is a run that put Beye under pressure, and whilst the club would see a marked return to form in November and December, another barren spell put an end to Beye's reign in February.
Sébastien Tambouret took interim charge. Given the context, Rennes were firm underdogs when they welcomed PSG to Roazhon Park - as they would have been regardless - but they defied the odds. Tambouret moved away from the back three and went for a 4-3-3. Not only has Haise kept with that shape since being named manager in the wake of that 3-1 win over Les Parisiens, but the XI that he has aligned has been the same each time.
Beyond the tactical shift, which has doubtless brought more defensive solidity, as their slender 1-0 win over Toulouse at the weekend evidenced, but the players are benefitting from the consistency in team selection. Prior to that, there was a lot of chopping and changing as Beye tinkered to find the right formula.
Rennes = Volley masters 🚀 pic.twitter.com/GzSKiVf2mo
— Ligue 1 English (@Ligue1_ENG) February 22, 2026
Well, this is the formula, or at least it has been for the past three weeks. Within it, players whose seasons thus far had been middling have shown marked improvement, notably Lilian Brassier and Mahdi Camara. The latter notably netted a brace in a 3-0 win over Auxerre a week earlier and looks at ease alongside Valentin Rongier, whose presence has allowed Camara to venture forward more often, and to good effect.
The win over Toulouse was not as flamboyant as the one over Auxerre, and Rennes had to dig deep at times. It was Arnaud Nordin, a winter recruit, who played alongside another January signing in the form of Sébastien Szymanski, who got the goal. The pair have brought a fresh impetus and have quickly carved out a place in Haise's XI.
'Rennes deserve to be back in Europe' - Nordin
Haise, of course, coached at Rennes during the early years of his managerial career, albeit not with the first-team. His reputation was forged elsewhere, notably at Lens and then later at OGC Nice. At both clubs, he secured Champions League football. And with the UCL places just three points away currently, he can aspire to do so once more.
"Rennes deserve to be back in Europe and we will do everything to get there," said Nordin. Les Rennais are well-placed and well-set to lodge a challenge as we approach the final sprint in Ligue 1 McDonald's.
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>> Rennes ease past Toulouse to keep up push for European football
