Brest’s Cinderella story continues against Barcelona despite domestic slip | European club football

WAlthough they were humbled by an attack-minded Monaco on Friday night at the Stade Louis II, as Brest prepare to take on Barcelona in the first “big test” of their first Champions League campaign (despite Bayer Leverkusen), it worth reflecting on the Bretons’ progress to date and a look at how Tuesday’s game could shape up given some unfortunate injury news for Éric Roy’s side.

Despite playing against a Monaco side that has been mighty impressive this season, Brest lost 3-2, but more importantly, lost Pierre Lees-Melou. The veteran midfielder had only recently returned from injury and his positive impact on the team was felt in the draw against Leverkusen.

After the game, Roy said the combination of the result and Lees-Melou’s injury was “a nightmare evening”, and warned that despite their early success in the Champions League (three wins and a draw from their first four games), they could be fighting relegation at the end of the season if they failed to snap out of a slump in their domestic form that has seen them lose their last three games.

However, before returning to Ligue 1 action against a similarly out-of-sorts Strasbourg next weekend, Roy and his players will face a Barcelona side that is, if not the swell of Lionel Messi, Andrés Iniesta and Xavi, in that at least a team that has shown more cohesion and danger this season than in recent campaigns. With Robert Lewandowski rolling back the years, Lamine Yamal (ruled out of this match) claiming to be the world’s most talented teenager and Raphinha proving himself a viable pivot, they are a potent team going forward, having shaken off an opening night defeat to Monaco by scoring 14 goals in wins over Young Boys, Bayern Munich and Red Star Belgrade.

Granted, some enthusiasm over La Blaugrana‘s strong start has been dampened by a home loss to Real Sociedad and Saturday’s draw against struggling Celta Vigo. But they are still a very strong side and one who will no doubt be keen to put an end to Brest’s Cinderella tale.

But as the first four games have shown, it would be foolish to count Roy’s side out, even with Lees-Melou unlikely to return in the calendar year. While the 31-year-old’s metronomic passing and assured presence in midfield will be missed, Roy will regain other key elements in his squad, including wily defender Massadio Haïdara, a shrewd signing on a free transfer from Lens, as well as the centre. -back Soumaïla Coulibaly and Romain Del Castillo, a player who was the team’s leading goalscorer last year but has struggled with form and injury this year.

Not that these absences seem to have dampened the squad’s attitude. Speaking to L’Équipe, veteran midfielder Jonas Martin claimed that rather than sides like Sparta Prague and Sturm Graz, sides they have easily dispatched to Europe, this – a night in Barcelona, ​​albeit not the Camp Nou – is something , which has been eagerly awaited since the draw was made in August.

Speaking of Tuesday’s game (and a looming January meeting with Real Madrid), the 34-year-old Martin insisted this would not be a match won on talent but on desire and passion, something that is evident from the page below Roy.

“We are a bit crazy on the field, you only have to watch us in training, it only makes you complain because we are competitors, we hate defeat. We managed to combine work, intensity, character plus some talent; the coach often says , that we are pirates and we show it on the field,” said Martin.

That madness, a kind of controlled chaos, if not in the tactical sense, then in spirit – it was even mirrored by Roy himself on Friday when the manager was sent off after a clash between Ludovic Ajorque and Monaco’s Soungoutou Magassa for throwing his hat. Obviously, Roy’s (understandable) frustration with domestic results is palpable, but that sense of playing on the famous edge has served his side well in Europe, allowing them to exceed expectations, though their lack of subsequent recruitment has left them frustrated in the league. .

It’s not just Roy’s fiery nature that has helped, but also the poise he brings to this. Despite the frustration of losing both Lees-Melou and the game on Friday, he was able to joke about the Champions League, saying of Barcelona: “We are ready to face a small team; we will try not to have a superiority complex .”

This balance of passion and levity has served Roy well, despite the team losing a number of key players this summer, as well as a long-term injury to promising Bradley Locko. So while there is certainly frustration with the team’s domestic fixtures, if the previous four European games are anything to go by, there is plenty of reason to expect more from this enterprising side.

Talking points

Don’t look now, but Franck Haise overachieves again. Despite his Nice side missing as many as half a dozen key players through injury, Les Aiglons extended what is now an eight-match unbeaten run against Strasbourg on Sunday night, winning 2-1. Admittedly, Liam Rosenior’s young side had their own absences, but the margin flattered the visitors, who struggled to get a grip on the game despite Nice surprisingly switching to a back four in the 11th hour. While the team have yet to hit their stride in Europe, Haise’s commitment to attacking football – always on display during his time at the helm at Lens – looks to be another side up the table once again.

What a season Hamed Junior Traorè is having. We covered Christophe Pélissier’s ability to get his team to defy the odds before the international window, and while the manager should rightly take credit for the team’s overall performance, Traorè continues to be a revelation for Auxerre. The Bournemouth loanee has now scored six goals in his last eight games after scoring a dramatic late winner against Angers on Sunday. Granted, if Auxerre have serious ambitions to play in Europe, they should dispatch Angers more deftly, but the result will certainly be welcomed after an all-too-brief stint in the top division last time out.

Finally, are things set to get worse for Stade Rennais before they get better? The Bretons attempted to reverse their slide this season by signing Jorge Sampaoli, but the veteran coach’s influence appears to have made little difference based on the evidence of the show against Lille. Despite Les Dogues by resting several key players (Angel Gomes, Thomas Meunier), Rennes managed just one shot on target. More winnable games are coming against the likes of Nantes and Angers, but these are derby games and can hardly count as easy opportunities to pick up points.