Patrick Kisnorbo and Xavier Chavalerin are little secretive. Thursday, at a press conference, the coach and the midfielder had assured him, Troyes would continue to try to take the game on his own and a step back, in terms of style, was not on the order of the day. But the Aube team remained on three defeats, it had been powerless against OM (0-2, January 11) then slapped four days later by Lille (1-5), and Lens, another big piece of the Championship, faced him. So, against the PSG dolphin, Estac returned to what it masters best, a five-man defense and a 5-4-1 scheme. A “classic” from the Bruno Irles era reworked last week in training.
“I made the decision, it doesn’t come from the players, said the Australian coach. The important thing was to reassure ourselves but not only, we tried to create superiority in certain areas of play. It is also important to adapt to what the opponent offers, we did a very good job on it. We had good counter-attack situations, even if they weren’t very numerous. Afterwards, in defence, whether at 5 or 4, there is no fundamental difference, the important thing is to stick to our game concepts and defend well. »
More success at home in L1 since August 28
It was indeed necessary to defend well, since Estac was most often braced on its goal, with 26.5% of possession, only one shot on target, and it was even goalkeeper Gauthier Gallon who hit the most of balloons (48) on the Aube side. But the numbers don’t tell the whole story, as Troyes nearly landed the perfect shot. For his first tenure since November 4, Gallon shone, the defense was intractable for a long time before cracking at the end of the game, when Kisnorbo’s formation had opened the scoring at the start of the second period.
10
Troyes have dropped ten points after leading at home in Ligue 1 this season, more than any other side in the top flight. All these points have been dropped in the last five receptions, during which Estac opened the scoring, each time conceding a draw at the end.
At the end of a great action launched by a Mama Baldé still as hard-hitting, Yasser Larouci had unlocked his counter in competition, before Rony Lopes spoiled two chances of 2-0 (77th, 85th).
“It’s frustrating because we were so close to the goal, we have the balls to kill the game, noted Gallon. But we’re not going to lie to each other, on the whole match, it’s still a good point. » Kisnorbo declared himself ” satisfied “ and Chavalerin even mentioned “a reference match in defensive and above all collective solidity”.
So could this scheme once again become the norm at Estac? “I don’t know, time will tell”, evacuated Kisnorbo. If it may have had the impression of evolving outside because of the number of Lensois supporters, Estac is still chasing a second success of the season at home after that obtained on August 28 against Angers (3- 1). But she was especially reassured on Saturday. And for the 14th in Ligue 1, it’s priceless.
