With three straight wins followed by a game, the Greens have a small unbeaten streak underway. It is precious in the race to maintain but also before a match which promises to be almost impossible against PSG. But impossible is not Stéphanois.
The ASSE defense has two faces
Against Strasbourg we could see the confirmation of the interesting role that “Kolo” may have on the left side. He brings much more than in central defense. For its counterpart on the right side, it is the same thing. Sada Thioub regains in volume of play, in physical capacities and his technique is expressed much better. And he, the striker, is starting to put on his new right-back costume.
On the other hand, the central defense lacks confidence and solidity due toEliaqim Mangala not always reassuring. Fortunately, Nadé remains very strong and reassures. The former Citizen must also find his marks after several months where he played little.
On top of that, in this match against Strasbourg, Paul Bernardoni showed some weaknesses in particular on a badly negotiated exit which brings the first Alsatian goal.
The contribution of Pascal Dupraz
This small series of invincibility is perhaps the mark of a “Dupraz effect”. The three centre-back scheme has many detractors. In the last meetings (the victories against Montpellier and Clermont), the Saint-Etienne coach switched to a four-man defense which had allowed the Greens to win. But there the scenario was quite different (with goals in the first period). The technician chose to keep his defense at three centrals. Nordin replacing Sada Thioub at 71′.
Does Pascal Dupraz have a real effect on the Stephanois collective?