Brest return from the international break with their defensive options stripped to the bare minimum. When Angers arrive on Saturday night, Julien Lachuer will have only one recognised centre-back fit — and Lucas Tousart is set to step into the gap again.
Quick facts
- Brest host Angers on Saturday at 20:45 in Ligue 1.
- The Breton side have conceded eight goals across their first five league matches.
- Brendan Chardonnet remains unavailable with a calf problem.
- Raphaël Le Guen, 20, fractured his fibula in training on 24 September.
- Midfielder Lucas Tousart is expected to partner Gautier Lloris in central defence.
Lachuer’s side had hoped captain Chardonnet would use the break to complete his recovery. He had resumed running, but fresh pain in the injured calf has pushed back his return.
The situation worsened with Le Guen’s injury. The young defender suffered a broken fibula during a training session and is not expected back soon, leaving Gautier Lloris as Brest’s sole available natural central defender for Saturday and the weeks ahead.
Brest have already shown their vulnerability at the start of the campaign, shipping eight goals in five games. Lachuer has made clear that solving the problem cannot be left solely to the men at the back.
“I am relying heavily on the collective strength to deal with our defensive issues,” he said. “Solidity does not depend only on defenders; it begins with the first line, the forwards.”
The Brest coach also wants his team to retain possession more effectively, arguing that keeping the ball reduces the exposure to opposition attacks.
Tousart’s move backwards is not entirely new. The 29-year-old former Lyon midfielder filled in at centre-back in the opening-day 2-2 draw against Le Mans, when Lloris was not yet fully ready, and did so again in the 2-2 friendly draw with Monza during the break.
Lachuer insisted the switch is not simply an emergency measure. “Lucas is not there by default; he is happy to play in that position,” he said. “It could offer him different possibilities for the later part of his career, even though he is only 29. He can become one of those hybrid players.”
The coach pointed to Tousart’s aerial ability, willingness to learn and performance alongside Lloris against Monza. Brest did not see him repeatedly exposed by balls played in behind during that friendly, a useful sign before facing an Angers side Lachuer views as dangerous in vertical attacks.
Against Angers, Brest will again ask Tousart and Lloris to hold the centre. With injuries removing two of three usual central-defensive options, Lachuer’s immediate test is whether a reshaped back line can finally make Brest harder to break down.
