[FM24] Les Rouges et Noirs, adventure in Britanny

[KlaaZ]

Hi all! I've had a bit of a hiatus after my last adventure with Oud-Heverlee Leuven and Leverkusen, but have recently started looking at interesting save ideas. I wanted something a bit laid back, so no lower division start if possible (although Dijon in the French National had me temped for a moment). I like managing in France, having had very fun saves with Orléans (in FM22) and Nancy (in FM23). Olympique Lyon was on my list, with it's real life struggles reflected quite well in game, as was AS Monaco. But in the end I settled for Stade Rennais FC, a team that has never won the Ligue 1 despite being one of the founding fathers of the French first division. 

Stade Rennais is arguably the biggest football team in Britanny (and probably neighbouring Normandy and Pays de la Loire as well). The biggest competitors in the area are Lorient, Nantes, Brest and to a lesser extent rivals Guingamp, currently active in Ligue 2. Despite its rather empty silverware cabinet (3 french cups, one Ligue 2 title), the club is quite renowned for its excellent youth academy, the Henri Guérin training centre, which was rated the best in the country by the French Football Federation in 2010. It has produced a quite impressive lit of excellent players, including Ousmane Dembélé, Eduardo Camavinga, Yoann Gourcuff, Sylvain Wiltord and others.

With that in mind, I will be trying to build on that philosophy. The plan is to both use the academy as much as possible, and  to backfill any clear gaps in the (youth) squad with young talent, preferrably from countries nearby. I will focus mostly on Belgium, Luxemburg, Germany (but preferrably from clubs that are geographically close to the French border), Switzerland, northeastern Spain and northwestern Italy. The plan is to try and build a network of affiliate clubs from those countries to improve my chances of getting talent from those regions as well. 

I will obviously also try to do well on the pitch, but as long as we comply with the objectives set out by the board, I will try to integrate youngsters into the squad when possible.

[KlaaZ]

Stade Rennais FC: An overview

Recent performances and aims for the future

Rennes has been a rather stable club just outside of the top three in France for the last few years, finishing third in 2020 and fourth in the last two seasons. This also means that they are now a European regular, something which is reflected in the board's ambition to qualify for the Europa League this year, with an aim to get into the Champions League in 2025 and become the 'best of the rest' later on. Off the pitch, we're expected to build the best youth system in the country, which aligns with both the board and supporter culture of developing players from within. No surprises there, it's one of the reasons why I chose Rennes after all.

Finances and facilities

Rennes have had a very productive transfer window before the start of the game, selling Doku to City, Ugochukwu to Chelsea and Majer to Wolfsburg, bringing in 143M. On the other end, they reinvested about half of this money to bring Ludovic Blas, Enzo Le Fée, Azor Matusiwa, Fabian  Rieder and Alidu Seidu to the club. This leaves the club with a healthy 44M in the bank, a 15M transfer budget to fill in the gaps (more on that later) and a very stable projection for the next few years (which will be even better with a potential Champions League qualification in a few years).

When it comes to facilities, everything is top notch with exception of the stadium. Roazhon Park can house 31.127 spectators, but it was built in 1912 so I can envisage the club hopefully deciding to build a new one somewhere down the line.

 

The squad

Wanting to play a 433 with one DM, there are some obvious 'gaps' in the squad. At right back, our best option is loaned out to Burnley with a future option of a measely 10M. We have other options there with new signing Seidu or 20-year old Doué, but the first one feels more like a center back and Doué is not really ready for a first team spot. On the other side, Adrien Truffert looks excellent but if anything were to happen to him, we'd be in trouble. The good news is that there is an abundance of talent in the center, with Arthur Théate a certainty for the left spot and Christopher Woo or Wilfried Omari next to him. And then there's Jeanuël Belocian, 18 years old and a potential world beater. 

In midfield, Baptiste Santamaria will be our playmaker in front of the defense, coupling defensive stability with some excellent ball playing skills. Hopefully, he will allow new signings Rieder and Le Fée in front of him to excel. 

On the right, 29-year old Bourigeaud will fill in the role of a traditional winger, with 17-year old Lambourde as his stand in. Across the pitch, Amine Gouiri will be our main man, especially since Martin Terrier starts the game out with damaged cruciate ligaments. Normally, I'd play him up front but for now this is how it is. It opens up the way for 21-year old Kalimuendo to lead the line, 

Finally, our biggest struggling block is going to be in goal. 38 (!) year old Mandanda has maybe one more season in him, but after that it's over. He's also by far our highest earner (together with Terrier) and honestly doesn't really justify that wage. Behind him, Gauthier Gallon is a decent backup goalie but no more than that, and he's also 30 already. There's a young Turk in the second team who's currently out on loan but I'm not sure if he'll be ready to take over next year.

[warlock]

Good luck with this one . I've looked at Rennes several times for a save this year but always ended up somewhere else. Will be following with great interest.

[KlaaZ]

15 hours ago, warlock said:

Good luck with this one . I've looked at Rennes several times for a save this year but always ended up somewhere else. Will be following with great interest.

Cheers! Funny enough, I've been wanting to manage them on several occasions in past editions but never got around to it, mainly because I was afraid that the save would become stale too fast (despite the difficulty of toppling PSG). Starting in the lower French leagues usually takes you at least four or five years to firmly establish yourself in the Ligue 1. 

[KlaaZ]

Preseason

No complaints in preseason. I left the first three games to my assistant and only took over in the real tests against Porto and AZ. We struggled in the first half hour against Porto, but after some tactical changes actually outplayed them. Their equalizer was the result of a tap in after a mistake by Mandanda. Apart of that, we didn't get carved apart once. 

We started relatively poor against AZ, conceding twice from a tap in and a corner, but after making the same adaptations as against Porto, we managed to mount a comeback with a great 95th minute winner by Rieder. The xG chart of that game really says it all.

No transfers yet, so we'll either do some last minute dealing or leave it until January. It's now August 12th, and we'll kick off our season at home against Metz, who are new to the league after gaining promotion in 2023.

[KlaaZ]

The transfer window is shut, and we've made one addition to the squad. I felt we were lacking a bit of defensive depth in midfield and when my scouts recommended 19-year old Soungountou Magassa from Monaco, we didn't hesitate. He still has some work ahead of him, but for 5M + 2M in installments, I think this is a deal that will pay itself back in the future. 

On the pitch, everything is going well. We had a relatively easy start with two teams that were promoted last year, but it's easy to stumble out of the starting blocks. No such thing though, four games unbeaten and only losing points in Lens. We actually started well in that game and went ahead, but then started getting carved up too easily and in the end we were lucky to grab a point. Apart from that, three clean sheets are a key highlight. 

These results put us in second place. Not behind PSG but instead a faultless Monaco. PSG lost their last game in Lyon.

 

[Jogo Bonito]

A nice alternative to the influx of Italian saves at the moment, a very good club and a great core of players to try and deliver that elusive Ligue 1 title. I've managed Lorient from the region, and loved it, but never Rennes. Good luck with this story!

[KlaaZ]

51 minutes ago, Jogo Bonito said:

A nice alternative to the influx of Italian saves at the moment, a very good club and a great core of players to try and deliver that elusive Ligue 1 title. I've managed Lorient from the region, and loved it, but never Rennes. Good luck with this story!

Thanks! The starting eleven is very good although apart from central defense, they really seem to lack the sauad depth to compete on multiple fronts. Especially on the wings, which is something which I'll try to remedy in January. 

How did Junior Kroupi do for you? He's been a favourite of mine in both FM23 (where I signed him up at Nancy, and in FM24 where I brought him to Leverkusen. Very interesting profile being a natural in both the AM and ST slot, and makes a perfect F9 imo. 

PS: Fun fact, but Italy was also on my list as I haven't played there since FM21 or 22, when I took Parma back to glory. 

[Jogo Bonito]

10 minutes ago, KlaaZ said:

Thanks! The starting eleven is very good although apart from central defense, they really seem to lack the sauad depth to compete on multiple fronts. Especially on the wings, which is something which I'll try to remedy in January. 

How did Junior Kroupi do for you? He's been a favourite of mine in both FM23 (where I signed him up at Nancy, and in FM24 where I brought him to Leverkusen. Very interesting profile being a natural in both the AM and ST slot, and makes a perfect F9 imo. 

PS: Fun fact, but Italy was also on my list as I haven't played there since FM21 or 22, when I took Parma back to glory. 

I managed Lorient before his time, but he should be good. I had Enzo Le Fee at Lorient and Montpellier though, very tidy player. Parma, yes, I loved them back in the day and had fun time managing them in FM a couple of years ago.

[KlaaZ]

Five games in September and a perfect record, although we nearly fumbled it against our rivals from Nantes. Really pleased to have scored thirteen in the last three games, but atthe other end conceding five is a bit too much to my liking. The game against Nantes was a lot closed than it should have been, with our left flank being ripped apart time and again. Coco scored twice for them but could have easily netted four or five. On the other hand, we came back from behind twice and pulled the win over the finish line despite a clumsy and unnecessary penalty foul by Theate. 

This means we're still one point ahead of PSG, who we'll play next after a midweek game against Rangers. I'll need to rotate one of these games though as we've had a few injuries and fitness levels are therefore starting to deteriorate. The good news is that almost everone is back again, with Rieder returning to full training in a few days. We'll only miss Bourigeaud for five to seven weeks with broken ribs, which is annoying as we don't have that many options on the right and he's a key player for us.

Off the pitch, we have a lot of good news when it comes to the infrastructure. I had to nag for every one of them, but we convinced the board to improve training facilities, youth recruitment and junior coaching. Hopefully, we'll see a result in the next intakes.

Finally, some squad news. Belocian had two years of contract left but I felt that was on the low side as he may want to leave sooner than anticipated if his progress keeps up. We anticipated this with a new deal that will keep him at the club until the summer of 2028, if all goes well!

We also found someone to strengthen the wing,albeit only in January. Alvaro Fidalgo was playing in Mexico but is originally from Oviedo in northern Spain, and therefore fits the recruitment standards we set, just about. He's able to play both in the middle of the pitch and on the left wing, making him a welcome addition to the sauad. At 3.5M, I really feel like this is a steal for a player of his calibre.

[KlaaZ]

First off, I forgot to show our draw for the Europa League group stage. Rangers came out of group 1, which was one of the weaker teams there. No complaints, should be easy to qualify.

That said, it was a very mixed October. We started off by throwing away a home win over Rangers with a blunder from Mandanda, which resulted in an easy tap in for Dessers to equalize. We then lost at home to PSG. Deservedly, in hindsight, but the fact that they got two penalties (one of which they missed, the other one very cheap) and scored their second from a 30 yard free kick, makes me wonder if the result couldn't have been different on another day. But if you don't take your chances, you'll never win games like these. And then we dropped another two points in Lorient despite going up after only three minutes and dominating the game. They had two goals chalked off for offside as well (correctly), but we really should have brought the win home.

Luckily, we bounced back in Europe against Farul Constanta and then went on to beat surprise package Strasbourg (in fourth place!) 3-1 to end the month on a bit of a high.

The loss of points also means we lose our top spot to PSG, as expected, but on the bright side we're still in second and six points ahead when it comes to the Champions League battle.

 

Some more good news, we recovered Terrier, who had been out for ten months with a horror injury. He's one of our best players and will give us more options up front, hurray! We just need to be able to hang onto him as he's drawing attention from some smaller Premier Division clubs.

[KlaaZ]

Five games in November, divided by an international break gap. We started off well, beating nice in their own ground after a very good first half performance (and, in all honesty, almost allowed them to come back in a shoddy second). Beating Farul Constanta with Rangers losing to Union meant that a win at home against the team from Brussels would be enough to win the group if the Scot were to falter. The loss at home against Lyon was undeserved, but it still stung. They scored all of their three shots on target from 0.45 xG, and we could only score once depite doing three times better. To be fair though, most of our attempts came from outside of the box in a rare game where we failed to create clean opportunities.

We then bounced back against a struggling Reims and put the icing on the cake in Europe with a 3-0 victory over Union. Unfortunately, Rangers also did their job which means we'll need at least a draw in Glasgow (assuming head to head counts first on a tie).

In the league, we're still clear in second place, seven points behind PSG and five ahead of Lens. No Lyon, Monaco or Marseille in the top five, quelle surprise!

December will be important in multiple ways, with games in Marseille and at home against Monaco, and the decider in the Europa League against Rangers. We'll also receive our first youth intake, fingers crossed!

[KlaaZ]

This is why I love managing in France!

[KlaaZ]

Living like God in France Rennes.

It's January first, and we're still firmly in second place! It's been a perfect month both in the league and in Europe. We beat Marseille at their own ground AND Monaco at home, and destroyed Toulouse in what would turn out to be the final game before the break with another away game at Clermont being postponed due to a waterlogged pitch. Ludovic Blas, playing from the right, has been on fire with three goals in his last three league games. The only bothersome thing is that we tend to try and make it hard on ourselves in the second half. Example enclosed, the xG progression from the game against Marseille, where you can clearly see theirs skyrocket after the break. 

The ranking in the Ligue 1 so far.

In Europe, we played a B squad in Glasgow and still got the win. We went behind first though, which showed it wouldn't have mattered as goal difference is apparently the first decider. But still, it was nice to turn this game around with Terrier scoring the equalizer and Kalimuendo bagging the win in the 91st minute. This means we also get a bye for the next round, something which definitely helps with fixture congestion and player jadedness. 

 

[KlaaZ]

Transfer window

As per usual, the transfer window opens on January 1st. This means Alvaro Fidalgo will finally join us from América, just in time as Gouiri has been called up by Algeria for the Africa Cup. We're also talking to two holding midfielders who will be out of contract in June, but more on that later (if it becomes official, that is, as we face quite a bit of competition). 

On the outgoing side, the most probable candidate to leave is Steve Mandanda, who drew interest from the Saoudis. He's out best goalkeeper, but at 38 and with a whopping 60k per week contract, his departure would open up a lot of budgetary room. I'm tempted to finish the season with his backup, Gallon, and then to give 20-year old Dogan Alemdar a chance (currently out on loan and unable to recall). 

Apart from that, Omari is wanted by Leverkusen and Dortmund, and we'll need to bring in a replacement if he were to go. Finally, Terrier and Kalimuendo are both wanted by smaller Premier League fish but neither of them is really interested in that kind of move so all good.

[KlaaZ]

Confirmed: Samu joins us from Vizela, he was end of contract in June so we were able to pick him up for a mere 1.5M. An improvement in every aspect in the DM position and a squad player status, he'll provide cover for Magassa (who has doen quite well so far).

[KlaaZ]

Confirmed: Yannik Keitel. 23, defensive midfielder, will join next season when his contract with Freiburg runs out. Born in Breisach am Rhein, he's from just across the border and so fits our recruiting scheme quite well. He still has room to improve too, and comes with some great mentals and an excellent personality. 

[KlaaZ]

January has passed, the transfer window is closed and everyone stayed put. The only outgoings were a few redundant youth players. 

On the pitch, it's been a mixed month. We kicked off January with an empathic 8-0 win over Vannes OC, Fidalgo netting a hattrick on his debut. One week later, we went behind against Nice despite dominating the entire game. Fidalgo came off the bench this time, netting a brace in what would end up to be a 4-1 victory. We then lost at home to PSG in the cup (unlucky draw really), in game that showed how much they are on another level than us. That said, we did stay in the fight until the very end, which is something at least. Once again, it was Fidalgo who ended up on the scoresheet. 

We almost botched our away game in Clermont, going behind twice but managed to turn it around in the end, with Kalimuendo scoring the winner. Our luck finally ran out in Lyon, who beat us again despite having a horrible season themselves. I sure hope they won't become our boogeyman team. For a chance, it was Fidalgo who scored the consolation goal.

So the good news, as you may have picked up already, is that Fidalgo really hit the ground running, scoring seven and assisting two in his first five outings for Rennes. At 3.5M, he's looking more and more like a bargain deal  that will net us a big profit in the future.

Anyway, here's the league table at the end of January. Still comfortable in second place, although Nice could narrow the gap to six points if they win their game in hand. PSG are ten points clear and pretty much out of sight.

[KlaaZ]

A solid month of February, with one blip, a completely unnecessary loss of points away at last placed Havre, with them scoring their only shot on target. We also lost in Paris, although it looked like we would get a strong point until they got a dubious penalty, just like they did in our home game against them. They've now had eleven of them in the league, more than twice as much as the second team in that list (which is us). Suspicious.

Despite the loss of points, we remain six points ahead of Nice.

In the Europa League, we had a very favourable draw. It could have been Atalanta, Freiburg, Brighton or others, but instead we get Antwerp. A quarter final should definitely be the minimum now.

PS: Fun fact, Fidalgo has now scored ten goals in eight appearances, three of them off the bench.

[KlaaZ]

Six games in March, with European football back on the table. Straightforward heavy wins against Lorient (a rival, bonus points) and Lille, and the draw against Marseille was actually acceptable considering how the game went, as they ran out 0-2 in the first half. Could even have won it if Gouiri hadn't missed his clear cut in the final seconds. In Europe, we cruised by Antwerp with the B squad. 

We face Newcastle in the quarter final, and then either one of Liverpool or Atalanta if we mange to somehow make our way past them. In the Ligue 1, we're still in second place, now seven points ahead of Nice. I stopped looking up at PSG as they're already twelve points clear.

In other news, our new training center is ready and more importantly, we got our new batch of youngsters coming from the academy. Let's take a look!

At first glance, we have what is described as a potential golden generation. Four talents stand out: A right back (and not a BWM as it states in the screenshot), a striker, a right winger and a holding midfielder. Despite the preview, no goalkeeper, which is unfortunate but it is what it is.

Ngomba could very well be our future right back. Not the best technicals but very strong mentally already and decent passing/technique, which is good considering we play an inverted wing back on that side. Worrying jumping reach.

Constantin De Waele is a young Belgian from Fléron, a small town near Liège. We have no affiliate clubs in that region so maybe he came through because of my own nationality, not sure. Needs work but could be a very solid pacey striker in the future.

Gueye is possibly the biggest talent of the lot but with only one strength, anyone could blow him away. That will be his main focus for the next year, maybe two, in the hopes that he at least reaches double digits.. Solid mentals though. 

Finally, there's Denis Dembélé who I can envisage following in the footsteps of Magassa once he comes of age. May need to get rid of his traits though, as I see him as a prime candidate for the DM slot.

 

 

[KlaaZ]

April was our worst month to date, I think. We opened with a (deserved) loss in Monaco, something that can always happen. We bounced back with a great 2-0 home win over Newcastle and did the same two days later against Toulouse. More good news, this also meant we will play in the Champions League next season!

The narrow loss in Newcastle was in a very even game, and still saw us through to the semis where we'll face the Liverpool giant. And then we went to Nantes.. 0-2 up after only 14 minutes of play, everything going to plan, being the better team. They pulled one back out of nowhere before the break but still nothing going on. And then we conceded twice in the space of five minutes, again from nothing, and that was it. I rarely do it, but this time I threw the water bottle and let the players know exactly how I felt. You can always lose a game, but the way you do matters a lot to me.

I also made a few small tactical adjustments and they seemed to pay off at home against Brest, who we dominated from start to finish in a game where the final score should have been a lot higher. and once more, we conceded from practically nothing, and their only shot on target of the game.

We need one more point to secure second place, which would be a historical club record.

[KlaaZ]

What a night! Went ahead, actually gave up very little until Szoboszlai scored a screamer, and when Blas was forced off with an injury which reduced us to ten men, I thought we would be done for. But two minutes later, Theate clinched the winner on an excellent corner kick and we actually pulled it over the finish line comfortably.

[KlaaZ]

What a night, again! Went behind twice, one of them a stupid penalty foul on a player running backwards, but responded magnificently. Terrier came off the bench to score a brace and young 18-year old Lambourde replaced the injured Blas in style with a goal and an assist. We'll play Ajax in the final to hopefully write history.

I think it's safe to say that my tactical adaptations are helping.

[KlaaZ]

History in the making: Rennes - Ajax

So after having probably the hardest path there, we'll come up against Dutch giants Ajax. A team with a big history, including four Champions League trophies and 36 league titles. They had another disappointing season in the Eredivisie after finishing third in 2023, now ending up in fourth place behind PSV, Feyenoord and surprise package AZ. They've however done very well in Europe to make it to the final, surviving a group with Brighton and Betis and clearing Sociedad and AC Milan in the knockout stages. Against the latter, they overturned a 3-1 defeat in Milan with a 4-1 victory in the Arena, with Bergwijn netting the winning goal in the 94th minute. In the semis they coasted past a disappointing Freiburg.

On the injury front, they're only missing Henderson. Everyone else is fit for action, whereas we miss Blas (on the bench, but not deemed fit enough to play so we won't risk him unless we have no other choice). 

The lineups:

Two surprises on their end. Borges gets a start over Bergwijn, who isn't even on the bench, and Rijkhoff is a young 19-year old forward who replaces Brobbey, also not in the squad.

On our side, everything is as it should be. Labourde replaces Blas on the right and has done very well this season despite his young age. In midfield, Le Fée gets a starting chance in favour of Bourigeaud and Giouri will play on the left instead of Fidalgo, who fell back a bit recently. 

 

[KlaaZ]

All square at the break, although we've been the better team chance wise. Kalimuendo had  the opening goal for offside chalked off but I'm a bit disappointed with him and Gouiri. 

[KlaaZ]

Gutted. Down to ten men after an injury of sub Terrier, and then a cheap penalty where Fidalgo also played the ball in the 98th minute, when five minutes of add on time was given.

[warlock]

Commiserations - it's a cruel game sometimes 

[KlaaZ]

32 minutes ago, warlock said:

Commiserations - it's a cruel game sometimes 

It is, and this was probably the one moment in the forseeable future where we could have won a European trophy as I suspect we'll be qualifying for the Champions League from now on out.

[KlaaZ]

With that European final out of the way, it's time to review the season and look forward. 

We had an excellent first season but still finished 18 points off PSG. Looking down, there was a fourteen point gap to third placed Nice, with Lens being the last team to qualify for the CL. Marseille, Monaco and Lyon will all play in the smaller European leagues. PSG won the double, also beating Montpellier in the French Cup final 5-0. 

When it comes to team statistics, we overperformed our attacking xG by quite a bit, scoring ten more than expected. On the other end we also conceded one more than expected but despite that, we still have the second best defense in the league. 

There are a few players to highlight this season, especially the youngsters. And there are a few of them, as we have one of the youngest squads in the league at 24.46. And that will drop even more as Mandanda his contract runs out. 

Mathis Lambourde was the youngest of the lot, but got game time in 38 games this season over all competitions, all of them from the right wing. He rarely disappointed and contributed eight goals and eleven assists. With a contract until the summer of 2026, he's a prime candidate for an extension. 

At the back, Jeanuël Belocian firmly established himself on the left on our two man defense. He already signed a new deal until 2028 and will be someone to build the defense around. A good defender who is very comfortable on the ball.

In midfield, new signing Magassa emerged as our prime defensive midfielder, making great progress to boot. With a lot of room for improvement, I'm very happy with his contributions. He already feels like a steal at 7M. 

Finally, a bit of an enigma: Arnaud Kalimuendo. Our best striker, good training performances, should be both a good finisher and someone who can set another player up, and physically very complete. But his goal production stayed below the required standard all year long, and he ended almost three goals below his xG. 

Looking towards the coming season, we have a few areas that we could improve on. First and foremost, I was never completely convinced by either Mandanda or Gallon in goal. Dogan Alemdar will return from loan and get a chance as a starter, but I won't rule out diving into the transfer market. 

Secondly, the right back position. Seido, a new signing from Clermont, did ok but I'm not his biggest fan. There's some interest from Spain (Villareal) and England (Aston Villa), and also the UAE. Our best right back, Lorenz Assignon, was actually on loan at Burnley, and they have an option for 10M, but as they got relegated I'm hoping he will just return so we can use him next year. 

Either way, we'll have to be very creative in the transfer market as, despite the excellent financial year where we made a 15M profit, we only received a 4M transfer budget.

[KlaaZ]

Hope this doesn't meddle with the youth development requirements of the club.

[KlaaZ]

One more reason why we should have beaten Ajax.

[KlaaZ]

Here we go! At least he's French. 

[KlaaZ]

Well that was fast! No big changes, except for an increase in the transfer budget to 20M.

[KlaaZ]

Some transfer news. Newcastle wanted Theate but I wanted a deal running up to 60M + 20% of his next transfer fee, and no agreement was reached. He was unhappy, but I agreed with him to sell on the 60M mark, so we'll see what happens. Al-Nassr are interested in his services, so a transfer is not off the table yet. As Omari is wanted by Dortmund as well, we may need to scout ahead for one or two central defenders to fill the gap, and maybe one left back. Apart from this, there have been (insufficient) offers for Seidu, and Terrier is wanted by West Ham. 

[KlaaZ]

Another game against PSG, another soft penalty for the Parisians. That said, we didn't register a single shot in the first half, so we definitely have problems against them for some reason. I don't think they're a better side than Liverpool, a team that we managed to beat twice deservedly in the Europa League last year, so I'm really not sure what the problem is.

[KlaaZ]

It's September first, transfer deadline day and four games played: One Super Cup and three in the Ligue 1.

We started off with a bang, opening with a strong 4-0 victory over Reims. We then drew away in Monaco with Gouiri netting a 94th minute equalizer, before meeting PSG at home. We played by far our best game against the Parisians so far, creating chance after chance but after 90 minutes, the end result was 0-2. This stuff is really discouraging, as we've now gotten five losses in a row. What's worse (although it's still early days), we're already underperforming our xG for AND against.. I really don't get why Kalimuendo doesn't score more often, he's got the perfect profile.

Anyway, four out of nine means we sit in a disappointing tenth place, but hopefully the games in September will see us rise up the table.

In Europe, we got our fixtures for the Champions League. Judging by our opposition, we should be able to make the knockout rounds and maybe even go straight to the round of sixteen. City and Barcelona are the only opponents that really worry me. 

Finally, no special news from the transfer market. Theate is still wanted but as nobody is willing to match his valuation, he'll stay put. If he doesn't go, we'll keep the squad as it is, I feel we have plenty depth now.

[KlaaZ]

A perfect September was marred by us almost getting humiliated in Hungary. Ferencvaros could have put eight or nine behind us, with an xG of 3.45 for 11 (!) shots. Luckily, we came back from behind twice to save at least a point. We struggled in Paris as well, where we went behind and only managed to score the winning goals in the 89th and 96th minute. We were the better team against Metz by far, but again only broke the deadlock in the 89th. I changed our setup slightly after the game in Hungary, going for an RPM instead of an AP in midfield and dropping our mezzala to support from attack. With instant result as we drove the dumpster truck over Lyon and then cleanly beat Brest to finish the month on a high. We were supposed to play Clermont before Lyon but that game got postponed, so we're trailing a game behind the rest of the league.

This leaves us in fourth place with a game in hand. Strasbourg were the surprising league leaders until they lost at home against Lorient just yesterday to see PSG overtake them.

A special mention for Fabien Rieder, who has done very well so far this season with two goals and two assists from the midfield. 

[john1]

Another French save   Great season, just a shame about Ajax in the final

Will be keeping close eye on this

[KlaaZ]

42 minutes ago, john1 said:

Another French save   Great season, just a shame about Ajax in the final

Will be keeping close eye on this

Welcome (back)

[KlaaZ]

We open up October with a home game againgst Young Boys, winning the goal bonanza 7-3. But just like against Ferencvaros, they had the best and most chances, and I have no idea why this keeps happening. I tend to rotate a fair bit in these games but still, in the league we have the second lowest xG against and in these games against inferior teams, they just play us off the park..

Luckily, we do better in the league with wins over Lens, Toulouse and surprise package Strasbourg before dropping points in Clermont. Inbetween, we run into an obvious and overdeserved loss at Camp Nou. Despite the 4-0 win over Strasbourg, I feel form is slipping as we were just very efficient there and helped by two own goals. The Clermont game was a real stinker, and a few players are completely out of form. 

[KlaaZ]

November did not start well, with us losing against what appears to be the prime contestant for second place this year, Lille. Going on to lose to City at home, and a goalless draw against Nice, shows the offensive rut we're in at that point. We've only conceded three in the last four games, but on the other end we just put one in the back of the net. We turned it around against Auxerre, winning 4-2 and then went on to beat Salzburg a few days later to at least finish the month with a bit of a good feeling.

In the Ligue 1, we're now trailing Lille by four points with a game in hand, and PSG by six. Small margins, but we need to improve up front.

In the Champions League, it looks like we'll have to pass through the knockout round. We're two points of the round of sixteen, but with two away games (Anderlecht and Roma), and one at home (Villareal), I think it's unlikely to finish in the top eight.

 

[KlaaZ]

Honest to god, couldn't even score goals if their lives depended on it. And we've had about fifty corners in the games against Lille (18), Nice (18) and Lorient (14), with zero goals and barely a chance to score from them either. In fact, we're one of the only teams to not have scored any goals from corners this season..

[Jogo Bonito]

The takeover seems to have been done with minimal upheaval, and good to stay French-owned. Also nice to see that the youngsters you profiled are all playing their part. Whilst Europe may be tough-going you have squad stability and are still well-placed in Ligue 1.

[KlaaZ]

10 hours ago, Jogo Bonito said:

The takeover seems to have been done with minimal upheaval, and good to stay French-owned. Also nice to see that the youngsters you profiled are all playing their part. Whilst Europe may be tough-going you have squad stability and are still well-placed in Ligue 1.

Yeah, quite the relief that the takeover didn't ruin the idea behind this save. Otherwise, I may have contemplated switching clubs but I really like it here at Rennes. Part of the charm is effectively the age of the squad, with only eight players over the age of 24 (of which some are at least dead wood). 

I think that realistically speaking, a consistent top 3-4 spot in the next five years would be a good ambition to have. We're in no place to topple PSG, at least on the short term.

[KlaaZ]

So it's January 1st, and we have a lot to talk about.

After a very frustrating opening at home against Lorient (1-1, see one of the above posts), we picked up with four wins out of the four remaining games, including one in Europe away at Anderlecht. Whilst this is obviously pleasing, we haven't been able to keep a clean sheet in seven games. Then again, if you average about three scored goals a game, one can wonder if that's really a problem. I'm most happy with the 2-4 away win at Marseille.

This puts us in joint second place with Lille at the winter break, and just outside of a direct qualification spot for the round of sixteen in the Champions League.

 

The annual youth intake looks promising again, although we could really have done with a goalkeeper. 

We also brought in a new head of youth development, someone I've used in other saves as well and who did very well there. Model citizen, and a preference for 4231 and 433 DM, the latter being the one we use ourselves now.

For the January window, we expect some outgoing movement and we will check for any opportunities. Baptiste Santamaria is unhappy with his playing time and we accepted an offer from West Ham. Matusiwa is already out to Almeria in a deal running up to 6M + 20% on next sale. He was a big signing from previous management for 18M, but never really impressed.There's a few loan moves for younger players on the table as well. And there's the usual interest in quite a few of my players:

• Assignon: Saudi Arabian and Qatar clubs
• Magassa: Atletico Madrid
• Belocian: Udinese
• Theate: Bournemouth, Fulham, Liverpool, Juventus, Wolves, Al-Ahli
• Seidu: Udinese
• Kalimuendo: AC Milan

I'm not looking to let any of these leave as they're an important part of my first team, but when money talks, you never know what will happen.

[KlaaZ]

Confirmed: Ayman Kari!

This 20-year old midfielder from the PSG academy went into the final six months of his contract, so we negotiated a deal for 1.2M to bring him in in January already. He'll probably be loaned out to get some valuable game time, and then next season he may be a good candidate for the DM spot if he makes some progress. Great personality. 

 

[KlaaZ]

It's been a busy month of January, with the transfer market in full swing and some very big games: Villareal and Roma in the Champions League in an effort to qualify for the last sixteen, PSG away inbetween, and two cup games as well.

The tenth round of the cup drew us at home against Ligue 2 neighbours Havre. Despite a truckload of chances, we needed two scimmages to secure the win, with Belocian picking up two yellows to put our position under threat. Either way, we went to the next round where we made short work of FC Fleury 91, pitting us against (and in) Marseille next. 

We had a rough time against Villareal and went behind when Moreno scored a tap around the half hour mark. Things only started to improve when I had Magassa in defensive midfield mark their DLF out of the game. We equalized through Gouiri and then went on to secure the win in the second half with three more goals. The game in PSG was a mixed one, as we played an excellent first half and were rewarded with a 0-1 lead at the break, with a second goal being chalked off for very close offside. In the second half, we completely broke down and were lucky to salvage a point. Then again, it's our first non-loss against the Parisian giant in six games under my helm.

Finally, we went to Rome already qualified for the knockout round and with a chance to go straight to the last sixteen. We were nowhere in the first half and Cristante put us beind right before the break. We fought back in the second half though, with Kalimuendo and Fidalgo turning the game around. 

This means two things: We are still tied in second place, five behind PSG, and we end the CL league phase in a very satisfying 5th spot, beating a lot of big clubs there.

Lots of interest in Assignon and Theate during the transfer window, but I managed to keep both on board at least until the end of the season. Assignon threw a fit when I rejected Al-Ittihad and was then asking for ridiculous money, so we put a 34M price tag on his head, which was never met. The same goes for Theate's 60M valuation, although ont Saudi club came close in the end. 

Apart from Kari, who was loaned out to our affiliate Racing Santander, we didn't bring any new players to the club. But we did trim the squad a little: Samu went to Al-Nassr for 4.3M, Santamaria to West Ham for 5M, and Mawutisa to Almeria for 6M.

[KlaaZ]

What. A. Month. You know that feeling when everything suddenly clicks? That's where we are right now.

While our first game of February, at home against Paris FC, was still a bit hickupy with three goals conceded, we then went into the cup game in Marseille to absolutely nail them to the cross. 

After that win, we surfed on a ridiculous high which carried us over Metz (4-0), Clermont (5-1) and Lyon (0-3). And we finished the month with a perfect 4-1 trashing of Monaco in the cup quarter final, setting us up for an away game in the semis against PSG. 

In the Champions League, were drew Salzburg, which actually puts a quarter final on the table. 

Edited July 13 by KlaaZ

[Jogo Bonito]

Really pushing on strong now, great work.

[KlaaZ]

17 hours ago, Jogo Bonito said:

Really pushing on strong now, great work.

It didn't last though, at least not entirely. Writeup coming up.