After the excitement of Saturday’s gala match in the Coupe de France against the defending L1 champion Lille (elimination 3-1, 32nd round), the AJA (3rd, 33 points) is back in the league three more days late for another poster between contenders for the climb, facing Le Havre (6th, 29 points) this Tuesday (8:45 pm, 19th d. L2). In a tight Top 6, the Icaunais have the opportunity to become autumn champions at the end of this last day of the year 2021, if all the planets align: we need a victory in Auxerre and that, in at the same time, AC Ajaccio (1st, 35 points) and Toulouse (2nd, 34 points) did not win against Grenoble and Nîmes respectively.
End the year on a high note for AJA
After 18 days, the AJA has one more unit than last season at the same stage of the competition. Adding three additional points and in addition delighting the title, certainly honorary, but gratifying nonetheless, of champion of the fall, would validate a satisfactory first part of the season in many respects. “It’s only one point more than last year, but there is progress in our life together, despite the setbacks the club suffered and the big worries with the DNCG which blocked us from signing players “ analyzes the Auxerre coach Jean-Marc Furlan when comparing the current form compared to the previous exercise. “We have been blocked in certain areas, but that does not prevent us from being in the top five and from having progressed in certain collective areas by our experience together, for a year and a half, two years, and by the dynamics of the construction of the system put in place. “
In terms of progression, this is an area in which AJA will have to apply its lessons from this match against Le Havre: direct confrontations against contenders for the climb. 0-0 against AC Ajaccio; 1-1 at Paris FC; 0-0 at Sochaux; 6-0 defeat at TFC. That is to say no victory against the other four members of the Top 5. But to beat a competitor for the first places “is not a notion that matters to me very much”, notes the technician from icaunais. “The result is that you are in the almanac. But the most important is how you mark the minds of people. There are a lot of teams that do very well, but their stadium is empty. . Our generations showed up at the stadium only to have the three points. But the new generations want to have fun, to have emotions, and they are right! “ There are emotions with Auxerre, whose meetings generate the most goals in L2 (50, 30 goals scored against 20 conceded) after those of Toulouse. That said, producing a benchmark match, a successful performance from A to Z, which has not happened to AJA for a while, would be a nice end-of-year gift for Auxerre supporters.
Trouillet and Perrin still in isolation, Arcus ill
Here is an AJA a little naked for this last game of the year. Théo Pellenard still suspended (the club appealed to the CNOSF), Gauthier Lloris still injured, Alexis Trouillet and Gaëtan Perrin placed in isolation since the end of last week after having tested positive for Covid-19, it’s Carlens Arcus who has joined the ranks of those absent.
The right side is ill, but at his post, two names are in competition: Paul Joly, regularly good in the Coupe de France with in particular a very good performance against Lille and who could experience his first in L2 under the Ajaïste jersey, and Alec Georgen, in difficulty against the Mastiffs but who, for a while this season, had been established in place of the Haitian when he was in poor shape. The rest of the composition should hold classic, with again the Jubal-Alexandre Coeff hinge renewed. Rémy Dugimont, captain in the North and author of a very good goal for the reduction of the gap, could take the opportunity to be established on the left wing in place of Lassine Sinayoko.
Le Havre, waterproof but a declining pace
Be careful, concrete! Le Havre has the best defense away from the championship: five goals conceded! And goalkeeper Yahia Fofana has already made 52 saves. He is the second best goalkeeper in L2 in this exercise behind Rémy Riou (56). In front of Fofana, a defense which evolves sometimes to four, sometimes to five, but which leaves almost nothing to pass with in particular Pierre Gibaud at the baton. And in attack, a duo made up of Quentin Cornette (five goals, two assists) and Jamal Thiaré (three goals, three assists) who tries to make the Le Havre offensive animation shine, one of the worst in the antechamber of the ‘elite (17 goals scored, only the last four in the standings do worse) and who scored very few pawns in the game (nine, only Nancy did less well with seven).
With its solid and defensive identity, Paul Le Guen’s team is still skating in the last matches: only one victory against two draws and two defeats in the last five matches. Mistrust all the same: in 2021, Le Havre lost only two meetings in 18 trips. Nobody does better. Above all, the AJA makes a small block as soon as it meets the HAC: only one victory out of 13 confrontations in L2 (against four draws and eight defeats). A success that dates back to October 2019, it was at the Abbé-Deschamps (2-0).