Neither the result nor the way. This is the finding of the 26th day of National for US Orleans, hung this Friday (0-0) by a team from Cholet not much more convincing. The problem is that the situation seems to be getting bogged down side Loire, with a inability to win for more than a month now (the last victory dates back to February 14, against Red Star). In 2022, theUSO has certainly only lost once, against Villefranche (1-2), at the beginning of March, but string of draws. results that lead to a 11th place in the standings and the end of the illusion: going to hang on the podium. So why is it not working anymore?
The defeat against Villefranche, a big blow behind the head
First, there is this end of series, recorded on March 4 against the Rhodaniens of FC Villefranche Beaujolais. A 2-1 defeat as US Orléans led at halftime, but in 10 minutes, Xavier Collin’s team was turned around. “We had a good series, we thought at one point that we were going to look up, and the Villefranche match is a setback that makes us give up our hopes of going up“, confirmed the Orleans coach after the draw against Cholet.
One divided opinion by central defender Cedric Yambere : “Maybe we saw each other a little too nice and there’s been a bit of decompression since Villefranche. Each match, we have to play it thoroughly, we have to put our heads back in order to be proud of our matches. Villefranche is where we break our series and we couldn’t bounce back against Bastia-Borgo. Same against Cholet, where not only did we not know how to bounce back, but in addition we did not put in a good performance. These are things that accumulate. The ground does not lie, we see it and you have seen it too.“
Too tight a workforce?
But what handicaps this Orleans team is their lack of bench depth and by extension solutions. Particularly on the attacking front, with four starts in the winter transfer window (Carnejy Antoine, Moussa SeydiFabien Ourega and Aymen Souda), for a single finish (Mohamed Cisse). If the system in 3-5-2 bring a undeniable defensive balance (four games without conceding a goal in 2022), it reduces offensive solutions. “The goal ratio that we put in the game, removing set pieces, is poor. We are below the level we must be to play at the top of the table“, notes Xavier Collin. The facts prove the Orleans coach right: more than half of the goals scored in 2022 come from a set piece : seven come from it out of the 13 Loire Valley projects.
We do not have attackers worthy of playing the rise in National – Xavier Collin, US Orleans coach
A lack of bench depth which causes a chain reaction, since with this limited workforce, absences are more difficult to replace. The best example is that ofHicham Benkaid. The club’s top scorer and assistsfive goals, four assists), he’s where the USO’s offensive opportunities come from. However, without the number 10, there was clearly a lack of bringing danger to the opposing goals, during his three game suspension. Even if he too was not at his usual level against Cholet.
Back to a four-man defense?
And Xavier Collin goes even further. The former defender charges the quality of its attackers : “We have a real deficit in individual and offensive quality. Today, we don’t have attackers worthy of playing the rise in National. We deal with it. We have good boys, generous, but not seasoned for the climb. Esteban (Lepaul) is a young player who scored, who had a good period, who is in a slightly more complicated phase, but in terms of experience to play at the top of the National table, he’s not ready . You have to put things right, say what’s wrong. Today on the offensive plan we are below the level to be efficient. That’s all.”
While waiting to find out what the Orleans squad will look like next season, only four players will still be under contract in 2022/2023 (Fred Dembi, Jimmy Halby-Toure, Liamine Mokdad and Ibrahim Sangare), what solutions can the staff find to restart the machine? According to Xavier Collin after the meeting at Cholet, we can expect a change in tactics. With a likely return to a four-man defense to bring more players into the attacking phase. Response Friday in Avranches, against the 13th National.