Twelfth last year, Reims is coming out of a peaceful exercise. For Oscar Garcia’s first season, the Champenois made no waves and stood well above the waterline (12th). Despite a transfer window that is struggling to take off, the Rémois have ambitions.
Overview of the Reims forces, before the first match of the season in Marseille, Sunday August 7 at 8:45 p.m.
The challenge: to continue to anchor… by scoring more
Fifteenth attack in Ligue 1, Stade de Reims scored 43 goals last year, and took 44 (7th best defense). Apart from Hugo Ekitike, who left for PSG, no player has exceeded five achievements. These offensive difficulties have the gift of annoying the technician Oscar Garcia. “It is not very useful to know football to know what you need”he dropped in the columns of The union [article payant], after a friendly defeat against Villarreal. The reinforcements hoped for by the Iberian, whose offensive speech contrasts with this scarcity, are not there yet.
With a workforce in which no attacker peaks at ten goals in Ligue 1, it is difficult to aim high. Rarely threatened since its comeback in 2018, Reims must not miss the boat, during a season with four runs. “We will have to be 100% ready from the first meeting so as not to be left behind.”warned Garcia.
The player to watch: Jens Cadresse, the golden mean
He is one of the latest finds of the very international recruitment of the Stade de Reims. Arrived this winter from Midtjylland (Denmark), Jens Cadjus was tracked by “other big European teams”, as the club boasted on its website. The Champagne leaders broke the piggy bank to attract this young Swedish international (13 caps). He acclimatized gently to the Marne (seven games, two goals) and is attacking his first full season there.
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The midfielder should present his meter 88 in front of the Reims defense. Despite his immense talent, the form of Cadjus remains a question mark. His previous exercise was plagued by recurring injuries, both in Denmark and France. As for its preparation, it was truncated by the Covid-19. Once these doubts are dispelled, the Swede will be a real attraction.
The rookie: Patrick Pentz, a bet to make people forget Predrag Rajkovic
Very solid for three years in goal, Predrag Rajkovic left for Mallorca. True to its recruitment philosophy, Reims has found an Austrian doorman, Patrick Pentz. His name may come to you as the executioner of the Blues, during a League of Nations match in June. For his third cape, there was disgusted Mbappé and Benzma, before losing at the end of the match (1-1). Much more than a stroke of brilliance, this emergence in selection rewards his regularity.
Indisputable in goal for Austria Vienna for the past two seasons, he led the second defense in the league last year. “Patrick is fast, very active and has a good kicking game”praised Garcia in The union. For her first experience outside her country, Pentz is challenging and “kind of [s]”comfort zone”. If the doorman radiates as much as his predecessor, it will be necessary to redouble our inventiveness to make the Reims defense give in.
Also worth mentioning: the arrival of the Japanese Junya Ito. Arrived a week before the recovery, he is the surprise of the Reims transfer window. “Some criticize us for recruiting only young players. This time, we chose a seasoned international, a star in his country, and who will play in the next World Cup.”explained Reims President Jean-Pierre Caillot at The Union. The 29-year-old winger is coming off a great season with Genk, where he finished as the Belgian league’s top passer (16 assists).
The typical XI:
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