Football: in Concarneau, Nîmes Olympique must raise the tuna

The Crocodiles will count on Oussama Abdeldjelil, joint top scorer in the National, to unlock their away score. Midi Libre – ALEXIS BETHUNE

National/5th day. The Crocodiles of Nîmes (11th) go fishing for points at the Thoniers of Concarneau (4th), Friday September 13 at 7:30 p.m. But against a relegated Ligue 2 team, they will have to do more and better than against Rouen (2-2) and Valenciennes (0-2)…

A question is nagging us, this Friday morning, and nagging the staff too: will Nîmes Olympique finally take off? ? For now, the Crocodiles have just taken off from Montpellier airport, Thursday midday. Direction Nantes, then Concarneau, three hours by bus later. But on the pitch, for the moment, the Gardois remain on the ground, like these aerial duels that they lose too regularly in both areas.

The penultimate defense

The promises of the end of last season and of a maintenance acquired with style have given way to defensive weaknesses: with six goals conceded, including three on set pieces, NO is the second most permeable team in National behind Rouen (8). "Four points in four days, the record is insufficient in terms of results but not in terms of content, considers coach Adil Hermach. However, having results without content, you will do it once or twice in the season but over a whole championship, it does not work. We are not in excess of play. We are in excess of lack of realism in both surfaces."

And the coach recalls the bases of his project: "First, it is the spirit of Nîmes, the values, the culture of the club. And then, it is the game. One conditions the other. We must put things back in order. First the foundations, and then you build your house. The National is first stamping, then playing. For the moment, we manage to do one of the two". In four days, the Crocos have had their share of bad shots: Iafrate hit in the ear, Camara and Mendy in the cheekbone, Marcel in the head.

The game, yes, but more muscular

The game, yes, but more muscular, as Aimé Jacquet asked Robert Pires before the first consecration of the Blues at the 1998 World Cup. The Reds, too, will therefore have to raise their voices, or rather the tuna among the Thoniers de Concarneau, the nickname of the local players.

“The opponent falls well, assures Hermach.He will push us to raise our level of play. Athletically, it is still a Ligue 2 level team. People tend to think that the National is a championship for brutes, that it is only physical, but I can tell you that in L1 and L2, the athletic dimension is even more important than in the National. I expect my players to meet the physical challenge of a team that is coming down from L2. I will be able to gauge them."

Adil Hermach : "They say that Concarneau is having a good start to the championship. But if we win there, we will be on a par with them…"

The Nîmes coach has a lot of faith in them. But he was disappointed with the performances in Valenciennes (0-2) and against Rouen (2-2). "If I have a lot of turnover, it is because there are individual underperformances. That does not prevent me from remaining very optimistic and from always having great confidence in my team and my staff. They say that Concarneau is having a good start to the championship. But if we win there, we'll be on par with them…"

In the leading European tuna port and the third largest French fishing port, fishing at (three) points is open. And the imminent take-off ?

What team and what group for the Crocos ?

What team and what group will Adil Hermach concoct, he who changes a lot and who has been looking for the right formula since the start of the season ? Nothing is less certain…

The probable eleven : Simon – Sbaï, Iafrate, Mendy (cap), Beneddine – Mexico, Doukansy, Picouleau – Marcel, Abdeldjelil, Ali Abdallah.

The replacements (à choose from) : Dias (l.), Diallo, Paviot, Diouf, Akkal, Khalid, Bouaoune, Osei.Les absents : Amara (foot), Labonne (recovery) and the choices of the coach.

The referee : Edgar Barenton.

The stadium&nb sp;: Guy-Piriou.

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