Can the victory (1-0) snatched Tuesday against Metz, a Top 5 team, without creating any chances but achieving a faultless defensive performance, constitute a founding act for this Red Star team? The next matches will answer this question. But Grégory Poirier’s team, still 16th and penultimate defense in L2, has already at least managed to prove something against Messins.
“Metz is a playful team, renowned for its positional play with very technical players like Hein and that will serve us well. We saw that we were capable of defending and suffering without conceding a goal. It’s really worth keeping,” believes the Red Star coach who faces his two pursuers in the ranking, Martigues (18th) then Troyes (17th) next week at Bauer.
Against Martigues coached by Thierry Laurey who returned to the bench after a year of unemployment and a final humanly complicated season at Paris FC, the context will be different compared to that against Metz. Promoted to L2 at the same time as Red Star, the Provençaux have changed everything (coach, president) and now play at “home” in Gueugnon (2 defeats in 2 matches) after playing in the desert of the Vélodrome stadium in Marseille, a financial pit.
“I’m going to leave affect aside”
“It’s not easy to switch from a match with such fervor to Bauer, to Gueugnon where there will be few people,” recognizes Grégory Poirier. We will have to show humility. Not believing that it’s going to be easy would be the worst mistake. It’s a third match in a week, there will be fatigue, a lot of things will come down to mentality. The match indicators are completely different than against Metz. We will have to find the right balance, be good at security, play, concentration. There will be a battle. »
For Grégory Poirier, it will also inevitably be a special match. He actually brought Martigues up twice in three seasons (from N2 to L2) before choosing the Red Star project last summer. “We live for emotions and still happy that it means something to me to find my old club where we created something strong, humanly and sportingly,” he admits. We have restored the image of this historic club which languished as amateurs. But I made a choice of course by going to Red Star because it was a club that spoke to me. I had left affect aside. Tomorrow (Friday), I’m going to leave it aside again. Martigues is just my personal story. Today, I am very happy to be at Red Star and the most important thing is the big mathematical challenge of the match. »
Bradley Danger, who made his return against Metz, is once again in the infirmary.
Match sheet
MARTIGUES – RED STARFriday (8 p.m.), Jean Laville stadium in Gueugnon. Referee: Mr. Petit.
Red Star : Beunardeau – F. Doucouré, Escartin, Kouagba (cap.), Hachem – Eickmayer, Dembi, Ifnaoui, Durand – Benali, Badji. Rempl. : Avognan, Durivaux, El Hriti, Mbock, Cissé, Fall, Botella. Entr. : Poirier.
Absent. Danger, Mendy, R. Doucouré, Meyapya, Renel (injured), Slimani, Bonet, Anani (choice).