Four elite clubs have just changed coaches, and none won this weekend, on the eleventh day of Ligue 1. Among them, Laurent Blanc suffered a defeat in Rennes for his first on the bench Lyonnais (3-2), the fault, in particular, of Martin Terrier author of a double.
In addition to Rennes, the clubs at the top of the table have generally negotiated their meetings well, like Lens against Montpellier (1-0) or Lille against Strasbourg (3-0). Second before the meeting, the Lorientais missed the opportunity to take the lead in the championship, drawing against Reims (0-0).
At the bottom of the standings, things continue to get complicated for Angers, Strasbourg and Brest beaten this weekend and still in the relegation zone. The Nantes residents, on the other hand, are moving away from it by ending a series of seven games without a win after their victory against Brest, precisely (4-1).
The results of the eleventh day
Strasbourg-Lille: 0-3
Lorient-Reims: 0-0
Lens-Montpellier: 1-0
Toulouse-Angers: 3-2
Nantes-Brest: 4-1
Rennes-Lyon: 3-2
Auxerre-Nice: 1-1
Troyes-Ajaccio: 1-1
Monaco-Clermont: 1-1
PSG-Marseille (8:45 p.m.)
Player of the Weekend: Jonathan David
The least we can say is that the summer did him good. From January to June, Jonathan David only scored three small goals in the jersey of LOSC, and it seemed almost certain that the Canadian would continue his career elsewhere after the transfer window. He finally stayed in the North, to the delight of Lille supporters. On Friday, the striker scored twice to allow his team to win 3-0 in Strasbourg.
34.8 – Jonathan David has scored 34.8% of Lille’s goals in Ligue 1 since 2021/22 (24/69), more than any other player… https://t.co/e3gy3dMFAu
Indispensable in the collective of his team, Jonathan David piles up the goals. He has scored in the last four games he has played. Last week, he was already the one who scored the winning penalty against Lens (1-0), a goal worth more than others.
“He’s one of the smartest players on this team. He understands where the spaces are, he knows how to take depth. I am very happy with his work. This is really what the team needs right now greeted his coach, Paulo Fonseca, after the success in Strasbourg. With nine goals scored, Jonathan David occupies first place in the Ligue 1 scorers’ rankings. Not bad for a player who was to leave the club.
The end of the weekend series: Lorient
The Hakes ended up being stopped. After signing six consecutive victories, the Lorient conceded a draw at Moustoir on Saturday against Reims (0-0). Despite the red card inflicted on Reims midfielder Dion Lopy at the start of the second period, the Bretons did not manage to win a victory which would have had a particular flavor: it would have allowed them to temporarily take the lead in the championship in the waiting for the PSG-OM match on Sunday evening.
Still, with this draw, the Lorient people continue to collect points and distance themselves from the red zone, which we could have feared for them before the start of the championship. They have only been beaten once this season (5-2 against Lens), when their new coach, Régis Le Bris, debuts. A dream start for him, who took the reins of a club that finished 16e in the last two Ligue 1 seasons.
The first of the weekend: Branco van den Boomen
Best passer of the last Ligue 2 season (20 assists, plus 12 goals), the Dutchman continues to distribute offerings to Toulouse in Ligue 1 (four assists). But orphan of his friend Rhys Healey, injured in the knee, Branco van den Boomen had not managed to score this season. It is now done with the victory of the TFC against Angers on Saturday (3-2).
At 1-1, the midfielder was responsible for transforming, in force, a penalty (40e). He even came very close to giving himself a double by sending his free kick very close to the goal of goalkeeper Yahia Fofana (77e). Fortunately for Toulouse, his compatriot Stijn Spierings had taken it upon himself to clear the opposing skylight a few minutes earlier (67e) to offer victory to his family, despite the reduction in the score of Amine Salama (90e+3).
The moment of madness of the weekend: Nantes reversed the game
Against Brest, Nantes seemed set to extend its series of games without a win (seven before the meeting). From the 18e minute of play, Noah Fadiga (son of Khalilou, whom Auxerre fans will surely remember) opened the scoring, raising fears of another difficult Sunday afternoon for Nantes supporters. But the Canaries reacted quickly, and rather twice than once.
Moses Simon first equalized from the penalty spot (35e), before striker Ignatus Ganago gave his team the advantage… 46 seconds later! A sudden turnaround, completed by two other Nantes goals, one from Mostafa Mohamed (71e), the other of Moussa Sissoko (88e). It was also the first goal of the French international in his new colors.
46 – Only 46 seconds elapsed between the goals of Moses Simon and Ignatius Ganago for Nantes, the difference… https://t.co/LuZWH8Dr6n
The “little new” of the weekend: Michael Padovani
It is not good to be a Ligue 1 coach lately. In five days, four elite coaches were sacked by their management: Peter Bosz, in Lyon, Jean-Marc Furlan, in Auxerre, Michel Der Zakarian, in Brest, and Oscar Garcia, in Reims. Strong decisions, surely due to the four relegations in Ligue 2 planned for this season (against three usually, Ligue 1 going to 18 clubs next season), but which have not necessarily borne fruit in the short term.
Lyon and Brest were beaten this weekend, respectively by Rennes and Nantes. Reims grabbed a draw against Lorient. The Auxerrois also took the point of the draw against Nice (1-1) with Michel Padovani on the bench. At 60, the former assistant briefly took on the role of coach before Jean-Marc Furlan’s replacement was appointed. Never appointed head coach during his career, Michel Padovani has already played the role of interim in Bastia and Troyes. “I’m exhausted, I talked to the players a lot, and since I had slept very little…”, reacted Michel Padovani after the meeting.
