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Ligue 1 special: Stade Rennais and the Breton expectations

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Despite being one of the most entertaining sides in France for the past two seasons, Stade Rennais have always disappointed in the final furlong of the campaigns. Now, the Breton club will be looking to show more maturity in the upcoming campaign
Last season, Stade Rennais finished the Ligue 1 Championnat as the sixth best team in http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/France-c2899. Despite making such a promising start to the 2011/2012 campaign, the Breton giants failed to secure a place in the Europa League, much to the displeasure of the
club’s fans.
What was even more hurting was the fact that Frederic Antonetti’s side failed to get past US Quevilly in the semi-final of the Coupe de France where they would have met the eventual champions, http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Olympique-Lyonnais-c40130. The end of the season was a poor one for
the residents of Route de Lorient.
Yann M’Vila’s disciplinary issues also caught up with him and now, the France midfielder might not be able to make a big-money move. English Premier League giants, http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Arsenal-c38429 FC were keen on securing the services of the talented holding midfielder. However,
M’Vila’s antics have cost him his dream move and now, the youngster might consider reflecting on his actions as he prepares for another season in France’s topflight.
However, all is certainly not lost considering how far this Rennais side has come in recent years. Under the tutelage of Frederic Antonetti, Rennais have become one of the most entertaining sides in the Championnat. Moreover, Rennais come under the category
of clubs that have enough juice in them to fight for a podium place.
Antonetti replace Guy Lacombe at the helm in 2009 and much of the credit of Rennais’ progress goes to the former AS Saint-Etienne tactician who now boasts a 43.66 win percentage at the club.
With Paris Saint-Germain sending a clear message to the rest of the footballing world following the acquisition of http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Ezequiel-Lavezzi-c13073, Rennais face a herculean task of winning the Championelle.
However, the club has every right to dream of a place in the Champions League – something that always seems to elude them.
Traditionally, Rennais always make a bright start to the first half of the campaign. It is the second half of the campaign where the team starts showing signs of choking. In the 2010/2011 campaign, Rennais were not so far behind league leaders, LOSC Lille.
However, in the final few months of that season, Antonetti’s men dropped crucial points on a regular basis and in the end, the club barely managed to hang on to a Europa League place.
Now, fans are running out of patience and want the team to stop blowing hot and cold every season.
The club lost the services of star players like Tongo Doumbia, http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Youssouf-Hadji-c37599.
Tongo Doumbia has joined English side, Wolverhampton on a season-long loan with a view to a permanent move. Mangane’s departure on the other hand, is a serious loss to the club as the http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Senegal-c3001 international was one of the most consistent players for the Bretons
in the past few seasons.
However, the arrival of 23-year-old Romain Alessandrini from Clermont Foot for an undisclosed fee will make the club a good offensive unit. The young Frenchman is a good replacement for Hadji who will now play for http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Al-Arabi-c38292 SC next season.
The new Ligue 1 season is about to begin and it is very important for Frederic Antonetti to instil confidence in a Rennais side which despite its obvious talent, always chokes in the final furlong.

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