Too short in the mouth, the new FCN did not have enough legs to resist Marseille movements for more than an hour. A bit like the promises sown by recruits established for the first time in the canary jersey. Florent Mollet and Joao Victor had beginnings that Antoine Kombouaré rightly described as“interesting”.
At the break, the cursor was even placed much higher, as the former Montpellier player had offered new control in midfield and the Brazilian showed his ease in defense. But the two had already given a lot, and the action of the first goal punished them: Mollet, like Pedro Chirivella, did not stop the race of the Portuguese side because he had already received a yellow card; Joao Victor, he let himself be deported too much at the start of the action and had the misfortune, on arrival, to push a ball into his own goal which he challenged at Cengiz Ünder (57th).
Delort acclaimed by Beaujoire
Eight minutes later, a less incisive Calf left the lawn for Nantes to switch to a kind of 4-2-4 which sacrificed the quest for control for the benefit of percussion. Joao Victor, he remained on the ground until the end. And, like some of his partners, he ended up sticking his tongue out.
His last appearance for Benfica was on November 26 and it finally showed. But what his coach observed is also the rest of this third match on European soil for the 24-year-old defender: “He starts against a team full of confidence, and overall he plays a great game. I am not surprised. He’s an athlete, he goes fast, is able to project himself, to create gaps, and I like players who take initiatives on the field. »
Not to the point of modifying his choices for the Europa League: Joao Victor and Jaouen Hadjam, who entered at the end of the match in place of Charles Traoré, will very likely be the two recruits who will not be included in the list of Nantes for the 16th of final against Juventus Turin (February 16 and 23). Like Fabien Centonze and Andy Delort, who appeared for the last quarter of an hour to the ovation of the stadium, Mollet will be one of the chosen ones. “He brings what is expected of him, recalled his trainer. He is someone who is capable, technically, of putting the game down, of making passes. He is the one who must make the link between the middle and the attack. Scoring goals too would be good. »
On Wednesday, Mollet was on the last pass on the only shot on target from FCN (Ganago, 35th) before additional time (Guessand, 90th +1) and his fluid activity contributes to the confidence displayed by his coach: “Now there are very good players who are there, they want to play together. It has to be put in place. »
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