The Racing Club de Strasbourg is 6th in Ligue 1 after seventeen days and its success in Nice this Sunday, December 5. A ranking that nobody expected. And yet. Three reasons explain this current upturn which could take the Alsatian club to the European Cup.
The Racing Club de Strasbourg occupies 6th place in Ligue 1 after 17 days. An unexpected ranking, but not due to chance. A success which is now based on three major axes: the return of the public to the stadiums, a group of players who live well together and the method of the new coach Julien Stéphan
In great difficulty last season (15th in the end with only 2 small points ahead of the 1st relegation), Racing has been panicking the counters since the end of August. He treats his supporters, who are, at the Meinau, much more than spectators. The kop (the forum that brings together the most active supporters) has become a key player on match nights.
On December 1, 2021, after an offensive demonstration and a well-mastered meeting, the Strasbourg players in the pouring rain, spent long minutes celebrating the 5-2 success against Bordeaux with the kop as we can see in the video below. below.
A trend confirmed by the stats. Last season during the return cycle Strasbourg took 9 points in 10 matches in an empty Meinau due to pandemic, or 0.9 points / match. Since the beginning of August, during the 9 games of the first leg, Racing has garnered 17 points or 1.89 points / game. This season on the move 9 points gleaned in 8 matches or 1.125 points. In 2021, on the return cycle, 13 points in 9 games, i.e. 1.44 points / game. Figures that confirm the words of players as Frédéric Guilbert the defender of Racing explained in a press conference at the end of November “the public allows us to surpass ourselves, it sings, it encourages throughout the match, it boosts us”.
Every week, the players who follow one another at a press conference hold the same speech and praise a united collective. Dimitri Liénard, the captain, revealed before the trip to Nantes (November 7, 2021) “We work, it works very well in training during the week, it laughs. This year there is really a good osmosis. It’s quite pleasant at the moment.” One of the secrets perhaps of this osmosis is that the team is made up only of French-speaking players. From Kawashima, the Japanese goalkeeper to Mothiba the South African striker, all players have mastered the language of Molière. The idea is to avoid the creation of clans which could in case of difficulties accentuate the differences in a group. Recruitments which were generally very successful. The dedicated unit, headed by Loïc Désiré has often aimed very well since the club’s return to the professional world.
He is a coach who is young, who brings us a lot of freshness. There is a lot of diversity in our game.
Dimitri Liénard
Arrived this summer in Alsace, Julien Stéphan 41, crowned with a successful debut in Rennes, did not take long to print his style in Strasbourg. The time of a summer and a recruitment which in a context linked to the covid was very late for all the clubs. Since August 29 and the reception of Brest at La Meinau (4th day and finally a full squad) Racing has taken 25 of its current 26 points (only PSG 33 points and Rennes 26 have done better over the same period).
“He’s a young coach who brings us a lot of freshness. There is a lot of diversity in our game ” said his captain Dimitri Liénard of him. Coaching choices that have often turned out to be fair, like the equalizing free kick in the 97th minute against Reims (November 21, 2021) by Jean-Ricner Bellegarde, who came into play barely 9 minutes before the end of time regulatory.
So inevitably, the blue people, (the unconditional supporters of Racing) begin to dream. This team, in fact, can hope to finish very high in the Ligue 1 standings, that is to say a qualification for the European Cup.
It remains to be seen how the winter transfer window will unfold (the transfer market will be open from January 1 to 31). The transfer proposals will be numerous because the performances of several Racing players will not fail to arouse the greed of clubs much more fortunate than Strasbourg.
And for Marc Keller, the priority has always been the sustainability of the club. He will not refuse offers which may, in a difficult economic context for French football, allow for a big financial transaction. But he will not sell in order to sell. He demonstrated it with Mohamed Simakan: the 15 million euros offered in October 2020 by AC Milan had been deemed insufficient and the young defender had finally stayed a few more months in Alsace before joining Leipzig this summer for 15 million euros. euros excluding the additional 2 million bonus.
