This Sunday (1 p.m.), AS Saint-Etienne receives Paris Saint-Germain with the hope of continuing its momentum.
Saint-Etienne against Paris Saint-Germain. It’s almost the shock of extremes. This Sunday (1 p.m.), the Greens, penultimate in Ligue 1 before the 15th day, welcome the Red and Blue, leaders of the championship. If this poster promises to be completely unbalanced, the men of Claude Puel have serious reasons to hope to obtain a positive result. Because for several weeks, ASSE has resumed colors.
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A disastrous start to the season
Catastrophic. The word is strong but corresponds well to the beginning of the season of the Forez club. After three draws in a row – against Lorient (1-1), Racing Club de Lens (2-2) and LOSC (1-1) – the Greens sank, suffering five consecutive defeats against formations in the ‘superior group like Olympique de Marseille (3-1), Montpellier (2-0), AS Monaco (3-1) and OGC Nice (0-3); but they also bowed against the Girondins de Bordeaux, a poster which seemed, on paper, within their reach. Relegated to the bottom of the rankings and without real signs of hope, AS Saint-Etienne had to face the discontent of its supporters.
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Green fans began to be more and more vehement towards Claude Puel, demanding his resignation or his dismissal. On October 21, on the eve of the opposition to Angers SCO, a hostile banner against him was deployed at the club’s training center. “Puel: we give you 24 hours to resign», Could we read above. The next day, the kickoff of the meeting between Stéphanois and Angevins had been delayed due to the sling of part of the public, guilty of large throws of smoke on the lawn of the Geoffroy-Guichard Stadium and of an attempt land invasion …
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Rediscovered colors
Despite its explosive situation, both in sporting terms and at the level of the stands, the Forézienne team has been able to find the necessary resources to bounce back and revive itself. The first thinning appeared on October 3, during the derby against Olympique Lyonnais. That evening, the players from Saint-Etienne delivered a solid performance, competing with their Lyon rivals, however given favorites. The two teams parted with an encouraging draw (1-1), obtained after additional time by the equalizer, from a penalty, from Wahbi Khazri. This good point torn off in the last moments could have – should have? – definitively launch the season for the Greens. It has not happened. During the following day, Claude Puel and his men bowed heavily to Strasbourg (5-1).
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It was from the match against Angers SCO that AS Saint-Etienne really found color. Led by two goals apart, the Saint-Etienne club did not give up to snatch the point of the draw (2-2) through Mickaël Nade in added time, once again, after the reduction of the score by Wahbi Khazri at the hour of play. A nice reaction which seems to have been foundational for the workforce. The following weekend, the Greens returned from the Stade Saint-Symphorien, in Metz, with a rather encouraging point (1-1); this time thanks to incredible inspiration from Wahbi Khazri. It was not until November 7 to witness their first victory. Again in the position of the hunter, with two goals behind, they totally overthrew the promoted Clermont Foot at the end of the match, scoring two goals in added time – respectively by Jean-Philippe Krasso and Saïdou Sow – to clinch their first success of the season (3-2). Last week, against ESTAC, ASSE confirmed its rebound by chaining a second success in a row (0-1). To the delight of his trainer: “We delivered a big first period […] I still remember that we had seven injured, sick or suspended players. It’s nice, in this context, to finally lead to the score, not to take a goal and bring back three points. This is not trivialClaude Puel rejoiced after the meeting.
SEE AS WELL – Wahbi Khazri’s exceptional goal against FC Metz
Ambitions against Paris Saint-Germain
Thus, AS Saint-Etienne is doing much better. She left the Ligue 1 red lantern chair to occupy the one just above, getting closer to the first non-relegation. With 12 points on the clock, it is only a small unit from 15th position, held for the moment (before the 15th day) by the Stade de Reims. So, against Paris Saint-Germain, this Sunday (1 p.m.), the Greens intend to continue their momentum: “As usual, we will approach this match to win it. We know who we are in front of, with a lot of resources, character and talent, even if she can sometimes find herself in difficulties. It will be up to us to stay focused on what we want and have to do, raising our level of play, with or without the ball. We have already encountered these problems in Troyes. We saw our mental resources and in terms of players», Confided Claude Puel at a press conference. Paris Saint-Germain is warned.
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