It’s a mantra repeated over and over by all the coaches during the summer preparation. No, the results of the friendly matches do not say anything about what the club season will be like and these matches are above all a way to offer playing time to all the players and to warm up the legs before the resumption of the championship. Nevertheless, some teams seem ahead of others, like Stade Rennais and Losc, who have retained their structure from last season and are already offering good sequences in the game. For Paris and Lyon, preparation rhymes with disappointment.
Paris, a champion in doubt
The summers follow one another and are not really alike for the capital club. After enjoying two seasons of his trio of stars Messi – Mbappé – Neymar, the first left the club and the future of the other two in France seems to be darkening over the weeks. PSG left to prepare for Japan without the captain of the Blues, whose future fueled the news more than the results of fairly lackluster friendly matches in the game. Luis Enrique’s players, however, ended on a high note against the Jeonbuk Koreans (3-0).
READ ALSO. What happens to Pedro Miguel Pauleta, the legendary scorer of PSG and Bordeaux?
The results : Paris-Le Havre: 2-0; Paris – Al Nassr (Saudi Arabia): 0-0; Paris – Cerezo Osaka (Japan): 2-3; Paris – Inter Milan: 1-2; Paris – Jeonbuk Motos (South Korea): 3-0.
Lens, an animation to find
It was expected, the artesian club is attacked during the transfer window, after its surprise qualification for the Champions League last year. The Sang et Or have lost their two best players, Seko Fofana and Loïs Openda, and the Belgian has not yet been replaced qualitatively. Lens was neither surprising nor disappointing during his preparation, and moreover tickled Manchester United (3-1) with in particular a superb goal from Florian Sotoca. The challenge for the leaders will be to keep the last strong elements of the group, such as Facundo Medina, Kevin Danso and Salis Abdul Samed.
READ ALSO. From the central circle, Florian Sotoca scores a completely crazy goal against Manchester United
The results : Lens – Dunkerque : 4-4 ; Lens – Amiens : 2-2 ; Lens – Sochaux : 3-0 ; Lens – Dijon : 2-0 ; Wolfsburg – Lens : 1-1 ; Lens – Torino : 0-0 ; Manchester United – Lens : 3-1.
Marseille must be ready to enter
OM have only played four preparation matches in the off-season, no doubt to stay fresh at the dawn of a crucial double confrontation for the rest of their season against Panathinaikos (before potential play-offs). Like Paris, Marseille saw its summer punctuated by the transfer window between a change of coach and a starting lineup reworked by half. In this context, Marcelino may need time before finding the right formula. He will try to draw inspiration from Igor Tudor, whose departure had been requested from the friendlies due to insipid performances, before the club made its best start of the 21st century.
READ ALSO. OM will face Braga or Backa Topola if they qualify for the Champions League play-offs
The results : Marseille – Nimes : 2-0 ; Kas Eupen (Belgique) – Marseille : 1-0 ; RKC Waalwijk (Pays-Bas) – Marseille : 0-1 ; Marseille – Leverkusen : 1-2.
Rennes, automatisms and beautiful promises
Les Rouge et Noir have maintained the momentum of their end to last season, which ended with four consecutive victories and qualification for the Europa League. Apart from the departure of Hamari Traoré, Rennes has retained its structure, enriched by the arrivals of Ludovic Blas and Enzo Le Fée. With what they have shown, especially against West Ham and Nottingham Forrest, the Bretons seem ahead of the first day of last year and aim to fight for the podium.
READ ALSO. Nemanja Matic approaches Stade Rennais
The results : Rennes – Concarneau: 1-1; Rennes – Saint-Malo: 2-1; Rennes – Brest: 1-0; Rennes – West Ham: 3-1; Nottingham Forrest – Rennes: 0-5; Wolverhampton-Rennes: 3-1.
Lille, the precepts of Fonseca seem to survive
With a less comfortable financial envelope than that of Rennais, Losc expected to experience a more eventful summer than that of Bretons. However, the Mastiffs seem set to keep their striker Jonathan David. A time tipped to replace Tudor in Marseille, Paulo Fonseca is still there and is committed to maintaining his offensive animation already in place last year. This was seen against Cercle Brugge, to whom the Northerners passed seven goals, including a hat-trick from new Icelandic signing Haraldsson.
The results : Lille – Dunkirk: 3-1; Lille – Cercle Bruges : 7-2 ; Lille – Le Havre: 3-2; Empoli – Lille : 2-1 ; Brentford – Lille : 0-0.
Monaco to Peru Breel Embolo
A new era has opened in Monaco, which will not play in any European Cup this season, without Philippe Clement, replaced by Adi Hütter. The German technician saw Axel Disasi leave and Mohamed Salisu replace him and gave playing time to young Matsima and Magassa in central defense. After a rocky start, his side hung on Arsenal and beat Leeds and Betis Seville. But also lost Breel Embolo, victim of a rupture of the cruciate ligaments, for a good part of the season.
READ ALSO. Who is Adolf “Adi” Hütter, Monaco’s new coach?
The results : Monaco – Union Saint-Gilloise: 1-1; Cercle Brugge – Monaco: 3-0; Betis Sevilla – Monaco: 1-3; Leeds-Monaco: 0-2; Bologna – Monaco: 2-3; Genoa-Monaco: 1-0; Arsenal – Monaco: 1-1 (5-4 on pens); Bayern Munich-Monaco: 4-2.
Lyon, Laurent Blanc already threatened?
A tint of optimism had come to furnish the stands of Groupama Stadium after the very good second half of the season in Lyon last year. But in the meantime, the payroll of the workforce has been regulated by the DNCG, reducing management’s room for maneuver in the transfer window. Result, the Gones have not really strengthened and have experienced a very difficult preparation, without scoring the slightest goal in the last four meetings. “The important thing is to be ready for Strasbourg, if by then there is a coach in Lyon”, confided Laurent Blanc in a certain coldness, while his place on the bench is far from comfortable.
READ ALSO. Free of any contract, Ainsley Maitland-Niles signs with OL until 2027
The results : De Treffers (Netherlands) – Lyon: 1-2; Manchester United – Lyon: 1-0; Molenbeek – Lyon: 1-0; Celta Vigo – Lyon: 1-0; Crystal Palace – Lyon: 2-0.
#Ligue #PSG #worry #Rennes #seduce #results #friendly #matches #resumption
