France: Ligue 2: Le Havre- Red Star
Immediately before the international break, Le Havre played away to Racing Club Lens and won 4-0, my notes on that game are reproduced below at the foot of this email. I focused there on the loss of Mickael Le Bihan, which has been on the cards for several months, how I liked the business they had done before the transfer window closed and spoke about how prolific strikers Ghislain Gimbert (pictured) and Mathieu Duhamel had been previously at this level. Have a quick read through that preview, especially the first couple of paragraphs.The duo hit the ground running with three goals between them (Gimbert 2) and there would have been plenty of excitement about the home debuts of the trio today , I say "would have been" as Duhamel picked up an injury in training and will miss out.
That must be a big disappointment to everyone, but I do not think it changes too much, at least not for this evening, they were playing OK without MLB in the opening games and have upgraded two key areas since, forwards getting their chance tonight will know that opportunities might be limited in the future and they will be looking to impress and have the chance to do so against a newly promoted team who are still struggling to come to terms with life in Ligue 2 and who have conceded an average of two goals per game already this season. I spoke about them ahead of their last away game a trip to Laval.....
Red Star will have been crestfallen that they did not hold on for the win against Tours last week (see next preview), ahead of which I wrote .....
Red Star are the other promoted team that I felt would struggle this season and whilst they have a point on board, just a single goal in three starts, hints where their problems are likely to lay. They only have one real striker and that is 33yo Kevin Lefaix who scored a whopping 21 goals last season and who has been prolific for a long time in National, but never played at L2 level until this season, which is strange and perhaps we are going to find out why in the coming weeks ! They tried to upgrade in the off season and added some Ligue 2 experience, which was much needed, with the signings of defensive midfielder Xavier Chavalerin and left winger Kevin Diaz, the problem is that pair came from Tours, so the visitors are going to know all about them this evening.
Like BEB they cannot play in their home stadium , where they were very strong last season (12-4-1) and their new home is in Beauvais, some 80+km from the capital and it is amazing that Red Star could not have found somewhere nearer Paris.
Lefaix did score, but their attack looks a bit one dimensional and goals seem sure to be in short supply, they will not be helped at the other end of the pitch this evening with the suspension to left back Rémy Amieux, which will mean a change to a backline still coming to terms with life at the higher level, for the first time this season.
They lost that 2-1 and then conceded five at home to a Valenciennes team who had managed to score just twice in four previous starts, three of which came on home soil and with Lefaix not working out and being subbed at the break in that game, this is a team with issues at both ends of the pitch. Home win.
1.5 units Le Havre -0.75 ball 2.21 asian line/Sportmarket.
Le Havre: Farnolle, Milosavljevic – Chebake, Puel, Bain, Fortes, Cambon, Mombris - Fontaine, Bonnet, Gamboa, Manzala, Louiserre - Mousset, Mendes, Gimbert.
Red Star : Planté, Balijon - Palun, Hergault, Cros, Jeanvier, Fournier, Amieux - Da Cruz, Chavalerin, Makhedjouf, Rui Sampaio, Boé-Kane - Diaz, Sliti, Ngamukol, Bouazza, Plumain.
Good Luck.
Ligue 2: Racing Club Lens- Le Havre (written 31/08)
After winning their first two games , Le Havre have lost their last three in legue and cup, the last two without scoring, It was a little odd, at least in terms of the two Ligue defeats as they had Mickael Le Bihan back in the team for those , after he sat out the two wins ! MLB was top scorer in L2 last season with 18 goals and got a lot of attention from other clubs, including in the Championship, he seemed and still seems sure to be transferred before the window closes and on reflection, it was probably wrong to play him if his heart was already elsewhere, once players want to move, or feel they are likely to, they are effectively already gone and very few can continue to perform for their old club. I am not putting the blame on him, he was prepared to play which is more that most would have done, but it probably didn't help team harmony, he is not in the squad today and it looks like he is signing for Nice this morning, which I feel will be good for all concerned.
Le Havre have not let the grass grow under their feet and have themselves been incredibly busy in the transfer market this week adding centre back Denys Bain who was one of the few bright sparks last season in a poor Chateuaroux side and two hugely experienced forwards in Ghislain Gimbert and Mathieu Duhamel. The pair have been prolific at this level, Duhamel scored 10 goals in Ligue 1 last season and 24 (!) in L2 during Caen's promotion season of 2013-14, Gimbert scored 14 for Troyes that same season and has signed from Zulte-Waregem. These look very good business to me and all three should slot in quite seemlessly and hugely increase options in what was already a very strong squad. The trio have all travelled and I expect to see game time from all three.
Racing Club Lens are without a win in five competitive starts and whilst they have managed three league draws, goals are clearly going to be a problem and this is a team in transition, both of which I discussed ahead of their season opener a trip to Metz ..........
Really low scoring opening day in Ligue 2, with five draws ( four 0-0) and no home wins. I feel we might see one today in this match up between two relegated teams who went up to the top flight together the previous year, that was back to back promotions for the hosts and I doubt they will be feeling quite as bad about things as RCL who are a massive club by Ligue 2 standards, but took three seasons to get out of this league last time and once they did so, made a complete mess of things due to financial issues which we do not need to go into right now.
The visitors are much changed from last season and probably downgraded and that is definitely the case today, with only four players who played in their final Ligue 1 start which took place a little over three months ago in the squad which travelled and we might see six newcomers play together today, along with two teenagers. Three of their most important remaining players in central defenders Loic Landre and Jean-Phillipe Gbamin and midfielder Wylan Cyprien are missing through suspension and injury, along with new left back Anthony Scaramozzino and the starting eleven today are going to have to gel very quickly and are short of L2 experience. They will probabaly rely on Stephane Besle and Guirane N'Daw in the defensive spine and both will probably be up for this as fomer Metz players, but it also means the hosts will have a lot of information on the pair and will doubtless know their weaknesses. RCL also look very suspect on the left flank today, with no natural left sided defensive player in the squad.
Head Coach Antoine Kombouare has remained, but didn't exactly sound brimming with confidence earlier this week: "When you start a season, you never really know where you are going. "We need to play a few games to judge the value of the group, to know what the team can do against other teams, especially in this championship. " But in any case, today I am happy to start this season with a competitive group, even though I am still waiting on arrival - I hope - of two players, at least, which would be good. " Speaking of his defence specifically he added again that "We are not ready yet, there is still a lot of work, and competitive games will allow us to see where we stand. "
That hardly bodes well for today, especially given the players who are absent and the fact that it is the defence that Kombouare made his priority in the off season. It is not like his offence was free scoring eitehr , just 32 goals last season, they have lost their top scorer and it is hard to look at this squad and find what you would really call a striker, to be honest, it is a little hard to see where Lens are heading at present.
They have brought in quite a few players since then and it might be that we will see RCL improve as the season progresses, but today they are without suspended central defender Dusan Cvetinovic and with fellow CB, the much admired and talented Jean-Philippe Gbamin still injured, that leaves them short of options in the middle of the backline and that will definitely have got the attention of Gimbert and especially Duhamel, who has four goals in his last four starts v Lens, including two here for Evian last season.
1.5 units Le Havre level ball 2.23 asian line/Sportmarket.
Lens : Delle, Beslon – Besle, Ikoko, Lala, Landre, Scaramozzino – Bourigeaud, Cyprien, N’Daw, Nomenjanahary, Olsen – Autret, Bekamenga, Chavarria, Madiani.
HAC:Farnolle, Milosavljevic - Chebake, Puel, Fortes, Bain, Mombris - Bonnet, Cambon, Louiserre, Fontaine, Gamboa, Manzala - Gimbert, Duhamel, Mendes.
