A great architect of the Breton rebound, the 27-year-old center forward has made a superb start to the season in his new colors.
«It was a balanced match, the victory is not stolen, the success also turns on our side. We also gain confidence. We are in the process of creating something, of gaining momentum. I try to put my grinta on the field and as and when it pulls the team. We’ll have to do it for the entire season, but I’m not going to let them go.»On October 3, after the success obtained by Stade Rennais against Paris Saint-Germain (2-0), Gaëtan Laborde, author of the opening scoring and the decisive pass on the second goal, did not hide his satisfaction or his ambition to pull his new team up. It must be said that when he arrived in Brittany, the Rouge et Noir were not yet at the expected level.
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Two difficult first appearances
Courted by several French and foreign teams, it is almost by surprise that the 27-year-old striker arrives at Stade Rennais in the last moments of the transfer market. At this time, the team led by Bruno Génésio is still in the running-in period. After participating in the Champions League in the previous year and in view of the considerable investments made in recruitment, the Breton team is considered, at least, as a contender for the Europa League at the end of the season. However, his start to the exercise is not in line with this ambition: five small points pocketed after four days. Nothing irremediable, of course. The arrival of Gaëtan Laborde must come to fill certain gaps, both in the state of mind and in the finish. However, the first two appearances of the former Montpellier did not create a positive dynamic. Quite the contrary. Two defeats by two goals apart, respectively against Stade de Reims and Olympique de Marseille, during which the Rouge et Noir did not score any goals.
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The trigger for the Rennes rebound
Gaëtan Laborde did not take long to find his feet, to the delight of Stade Rennais. Over the next four matches, his impact is clearly felt, both in the game and in front of the opposing goals. Whether in the slap inflicted on Clermont Foot (6-0), in the draw in Bordeaux (1-1), in the victory against Paris Saint-Germain (2-0) or in that obtained on the lawn of FC Metz (0-3), the left-hander finds the net. Four achievements in four meetings – not to mention his contribution to the state of mind – which completely relaunch the Stade Rennais. After a complicated start to the championship, the Breton team advanced, before the 12e day in 5e ranking position just two small points from the podium. Better, over the last five days, it has collected no less than 13 points, more than any other Ligue 1 team. With two goals scored, including one against Tottenham, the player trained at the Girondins de Bordeaux is No stranger to the good performances of his team in the Europa League Conference.
Obviously, the center forward, able to offset himself on the right side, gave color to the Reds and Blacks. As Julien Stéphan, the former Rennes coach, explained before facing him: “He is very impactful in the pressing, in the races he can do. He finishes the actions, he scores. He is very incisive in the penalty area, but in addition to the statistics, he grinted which transformed the Rennes team in its desire to press the opponent.», Declared the coach of Strasbourg, in remarks reported by West France.
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From Reds and Blacks to Blues?
Second in the league scorers ranking (7 goals) behind Jonathan David who scored Friday night against Paris SG, the player trained at the Girondins de Bordeaux intends to take advantage of the excellent dynamics of his team to continue its momentum. And achieve its goals: “I’m on a good streak, I hope to continue it as high as possible. I never set a goal, I just try to do better than the season before (16 goals and 8 assists in L1 in 2020-2021 with Montpellier, editor’s note) “, he confided at the beginning of October.
Performances that could bring him closer to the France team? Bruno Génésio, who now has him under his orders, wants to believe it … while remaining measured: “It would not be an anomaly, since he is the top scorer in the championship, he is a player who is decisive. Now there are also a lot of very good players in the attacking sector, the Breton technician said several days ago. The France team is the highest possible level and it’s difficult to get there but I hope he will go one day because we are very happy with what he brings us. The most important thing for us is that he continues to score goals.“To hope to join the Blues, Gaëtan Laborde must continue to be decisive in order to win his training. From this Sunday, in front of ESTAC (3 p.m.).
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