Ligue 1 Review | Jorge Sampaoli yet to find answers at Rennes | OneFootball

“We will continue to work hard with the same standards that we imposed on ourselves this evening,” said Stade Rennais head coach Jorge Sampaoli following Saturday’s 3-2 loss to OGC Nice. Les Rouges et Noirs’ latest defeat leaves the club in 13th and only two points above the relegation playoff spot.

Results have yet to drastically improve since the Argentine was appointed following the sacking of his predecessor, Julien Stéphan. Sampaoli has overseen two league victories and three losses and has continued the club’s struggles on the road. Rennes are yet to secure a win away from home with the Allianz Riviera becoming the latest backdrop to a disappointing trip.

Costly mistakes from the goalkeeper Steve Mandanda would prove to be the focus of the match, and there was perhaps no worse time for the former Olympique de Marseille man to commit these errors when the club have been heavily linked with a replacement in the shape of France no.2 Brice Samba.

Mandanda’s mistakes in focus

Mandanda was beaten far too easily for the opener by Evann Guessand, but it was the second goal which felt like the nail in the coffin for the former France international. The 39-year-old was chased down by Gaëtan Laborde and looked to pass down the middle to beat the press. However, his pass was weak and fell into Nice’s trap as Sofiane Diop leapt from his assignment to intercept the weak ball and slot home.

Sampaoli blamed the transfer rumours for the shaky performance from his man between the posts, as he told the press following the game “He is a very experienced goalkeeper, but it still affects him as a human being.” The Argentine has been highly supportive of Mandanda since arriving near the start of November, however, that hasn’t distracted from the sense that the writing is on the walls for the veteran keeper.

It can hardly be ignored that Mandanda’s stay at Marseille was brought to an end following the arrival of Sampaoli. The record appearance holder for Les Phocéens was phased out under the head coach in favour of Pau López in the 2021/22 season. Largely because Mandnada was ill-suited to a game plan which put emphasis on building out from the back.

Changes needed at Rennes?

The Frenchman has not improved that aspect of his game with age and still looks uncomfortable when asked to play with the ball at his feet. And yet, this is one of the central components with which Sampaoli likes his teams to play and therefore points to the wider issues at hand for Rennes as we enter 2025.

There have been flashes of the dynamic and fluid football that we have come to expect from Sampaoli during his side’s two victories over Angers SCO (2-0) and AS Saint-Étienne (5-0). However, the squad do not yet feel like a Sampaoli team and the head coach has made it explicitly clear that he expects some significant reinforcements during the winter transfer window.

Alongside the arrival of Seko Fofana (who made his debut during the second half against Nice), Rennes will likely target the addition of two or three other players to help bolster the underperforming squad. There is the sense that better performances should come from Rennes in the latter half of the season, but the worry is that if the improvements do not come quick then any hope of escaping the bottom half of the table will slip away.

This week’s Ligue 1 subplots

GFFN | Nick Hartland