Soccer. Before Dijon, should we be worried? – Soccer

Ligue 2 (17th day). Guingamp – Dijon, this Friday (9 p.m.)

It did not take more to see the doubt settle again. After two consecutive defeats in Ligue 2, against Bastia (2-3) and Pau (0-2) and following, above all, an alarming performance against neighbor Briochin in the Coupe de France, Saturday (1-0) , the ghosts of the past reappear as the relegation zone approaches, which is only two points away. “There is no worry, insists Stéphane Dumont, the coach of EAG. Here are two games back, after Nîmes (3-1) and Toulouse (2-2), we welcomed the content of our services. On the other hand, we are lucid and objective: what we are producing at the moment is not enough ”.

« We are too irregular »

Man has calmed the Guingamp climate. The evils are not those of the past. But the observation, despite all the goodwill, is repeated: En Avant Guingamp, which receives Dijon this Friday, struggles to move forward and its dynamic worries. Especially with the approach of a winter which will deprive the Bretons of Youssouf M’Changama, their best player, called to carry The Comoros to the next African Cup of Nations (January 9 – February 6, 2022).

“We are too irregular, notes Stéphane Dumont. The base, the one that I have hoisted as a priority, is to instill a competitive spirit in everyone. The players have shown that they are capable of being in there but it is true that it takes time. I wish it would go faster. There have been a lot of coherent things from the start but we do not sanction the opponent enough when we can ”.

« We need more character »

Constrained by a budget without margin, the club had to think small last summer, recruiting mostly free players, some from the National (Sivis, Lemonnier). A few weeks before the break, this group shows real limits, especially on the defensive level (seven goals conceded during the last three days of the championship). “I don’t think it’s related to the player profiles, they’ve shown they can do well. Simply, we need more character and maturity in the game, ”said the former Lille.

At the end of five months of competition, no eleven type has also emerged and Stéphane Dumont advances without much certainty before each day of Ligue 2. « The state of mind is good, I have nothing wrong with the boys in training, says the young coach. But I expect more from them on match day. They have to go to the depths of them ”.

Few executives up to the task

Last Saturday, the second half against Stade Briochin was the summary of everything he wanted to avoid. « We retreated, sailed between two waters, we were weakened by their set pieces, we let them settle in our house … ». To put it simply, « we asked ourselves a lot of questions when we shouldn’t ».

Today, apart from Youssouf M’Changama who has pulled his people up in recent months (4 goals, 8 assists), Stéphane Dumont is deprived of efficient executives on which to rely, like Yannick Gomis, who has also seen his playing time run out, or Maxime Barthelmé, whose club expects better. And if young people knock on the door in numbers, few of them manage to stand out in a group which, in quantitative terms, remains consistent. But the solutions are not legion and it is with this one that En Avant hopes to avoid a tense season to continue its reconstruction.