Rennes left Austria with a point and stayed on the road, training near Maribor rather than returning to Brittany before Saturday night’s trip to Lyon. For Estéban Lepaul, it is another demanding stop in a week when goals, form and a possible first France call-up have all entered the conversation.
The move
Lepaul heads into the Lyon match without a goal in his past three appearances, a rare quiet spell after scoring across the previous seven matches, including the end of last season. Rennes coach Franck Haise does not believe the striker’s recent return should obscure the quality of his performances.
“He has had chances, including some very good ones,” Haise said. “He also came up against an excellent goalkeeper, which we had identified. What reassures me is that he is still getting chances and that we are still finding him in positions to score.”
The Rennes coach said Lepaul may simply have raised expectations too high with his earlier scoring rate. He could receive his first senior France selection, but Haise would not speculate on whether the prospect had affected the forward.
“I honestly do not know if it is on his mind,” Haise said. “What is certain is that he is working, still scoring in training and still creating opportunities in matches.”
Haise also insisted that Rennes cannot make Lepaul the sole solution in attack. The wider forwards have been asked to provide a sharper edge in front of goal.
- Ludovic Blas
- Mousa Al-Tamari
- Ibrahim Soumaré
- Arnaud Nordin
- Mayenda
“We cannot expect Estéban alone to score every goal,” Haise said. “There will be matches when he does not score, and our midfielders have scored recently. Our wide attacking players, and others too, have to contribute goals. Efficiency is what truly changes the complexion of a match.”
The French season around it
Rennes are joint leaders in Ligue 1 and remain unbeaten after four rounds, but their European campaign began with a goalless draw away to Sturm Graz on Wednesday. That was their first league-phase fixture in the Europa League, and the squad remained in the Slovenia area after the match to prepare for Lyon.
Haise spoke to reporters remotely on Friday before the 20:45 kick-off at Lyon, a meeting between two sides near the top of the early table and both still unbeaten in the league.
Rennes have already faced major tests this season. They drew 2-2 with Paris on 23 August, beat Le Mans 3-2 on 30 August, won 2-1 at Angers on 6 September and defeated Marseille 1-0 on 11 September.
The coach believes his side have continued to create enough opportunities despite their latest attacking frustration. “If we were not creating chances, I would be concerned, because it would mean something was missing from our attacking play,” he said. “We are broadly at the level of recent matches, certainly enough to score.”
At the other end, Haise took encouragement from growing defensive stability around centre-backs Charlie Cresswell and Anthony Rouault. That solidity will be tested against a Lyon side he regards as a serious contender for a top-three finish.
“Lyon are a good challenge,” Haise said. “They have the players and technical quality to control matches, with plenty of players operating through the middle. But they are also the most dangerous Ligue 1 team in transition. They can do both, and the statistics also show they are fairly strong defensively.”
For Rennes, the trip offers another measure of a squad that has made an unbeaten start. For Lepaul, it is a chance to turn the chances Haise still sees into the goal that has briefly gone missing.
