They may only be 5 thousand in the stands of Bonal this Saturday, sanitary gauge obliges, but the FCSM supporters await their proteges at the turn against Caen on the occasion of the 21st day of Ligue 2. The victory in Le Havre , as beautiful and conclusive as it is, should not remain without follow-up. Faced with other Normans, 15th, and the fight for maintenance, the Yellow and Blue would be well advised to chain another victory to stay in the TOP 5. Winning, finally, a badly ranked would prove above all that Sochaux is really cut to play the climb. And could even propel him, temporarily, to the top of the rankings!
Gain consistency
Omar Daf showed confidence this Friday during the pre-match press conference, but without departing from his usual caution in distilling information to the press. Needless to address the accounting issue of this match “it’s a very tight championship, it’s going to be played with 1, or 2% difference, for the moment, we are well in our championship, we have to continue” blows the FCSM coach. Daf especially asked his team “to gain consistency, regularity”, praised the qualities of the opponent “cut for the climb even if they are at the bottom of the classification”, envied their transfer window “they brought in Nuno Da Costa last summer, all the teams are getting stronger”.
An attacker still wanted
Exactly, in Sochaux, it’s dead calm on the arrivals side “I remain optimistic, we still need a striker to be more armed. Yann Kitala, even if he made a good start against Le Havre, cannot be our winter “recruit”. You can’t change your speech every time a player performs well.” the Sochaux coach seems to be getting impatient, nevertheless relieved of the weight represented by the management of Adama Niane, finally loaned to Dunkirk. The Yellow and Blue technician returns Maxime Do Couto, recovered from COVID, and Abdallah Ndour in his group for this duel against Caen.
Caen lessened but still positive …. especially on the move
On the Caennais side, this trip to Sochaux will launch the year 2022 for Stéphane Moulin’s team. Deprived of a match last week against Niort due to COVID, Stade Malherbe begins its return phase at Bonal with nine players absent for various reasons (Covid, injuries, and suspensions). “Adapting is Caen’s buzzword” tries to put the Caen coach into perspective before this meeting on Sochaux soil where Adolphe Teikeu could make his debut in the Caen defense. The Normans, announced as contenders for the climb, are living a season at the antipodes of their objectives. The Malherbistes do not manage to get out of the bottom of the ranking. Capable of going to win in Toulouse, and losing in stride to D’Ornano against Valenciennes, their irregularity forces them to come to Sochaux to score at least one point. The FCSM, winner in the first leg at the end of a game with a crazy scenario, will have to be creative and opportunistic in attack to finally get rid of a badly ranked Bonal.
The stat: Caen have only lost one away game, to Ajaccio, the leader, and that was four months ago!
This is our biggest regret, it will be a real loss for us, we know their importance to do the job and push us to get results – Omar Daf on the absence of Ultras from the TNS
Without the Sochaux North Grandstand
Sochaux needs to become intractable again in front of its public, and even without the Tribune Nord Sochaux which opposes the latest government regulations in outdoor sports arenas “How to live our passion seated, masked and distanced?” laments the group of Ultras in a press release on its Facebook account “the TNS group will no longer be active inside the Bonal stadium (block C in standing places is closed) but everyone is free to go to the match on a personal basis, in the second North for those usually in block C” further specifies the TNS which “sends all his strength to the staff, the team and all the components of the club” to help, even from a distance, the Yellow and Blue to take the three points.
The Sochaux-Caen meeting is to be experienced live and in full from 6:45 p.m. this Saturday with comments by Hervé Blanchard from the Bonal stadium (kick-off 7 p.m.). A minute of silence will be observed before kick-off to pay tribute to Edgard Despert, deceased at the age of 87, and former president of the FCSM association.