Jean-Philippe KRASSO.
Arnaud Nordin having had difficulties in this register in Nantes and Charles Abi absent a month, there are really only two options (failing to revive Wahbi Khazri): Romain Hamouma … And Jean-Philippe Krasso. Personally, I would go for the second option even if the former Spinalien only played 8 short minutes during the first four days.
If Claude Puel probably planned to give Krasso a little time to acclimatize to the high level, the former National 2 striker, hero of the last Coupe de France, had been rather interesting in the first three friendlies. Above all, it offers a different profile from Hamouma and which can pose concerns to a central axis like that of Rennes composed of Damien Da Silva and Nayef Aguerd.
Unlike Romain Hamouma who will take down and flee physical contact with his guard dogs, Krasso will not hesitate to go and fight in the area. In my opinion, he is the kind of player who, faced with a defense of this type, can create spaces for others. As Charles Abi would have done. And then how do you know if a recruit is good or not if you don’t give them a chance? No doubt Claude Puel has his reasons for making other choices in relation to what he sees in training but we must, in my opinion, dissociate the Krasso from L’Etrat and the one we will see on the field with the first team.
Alexandre CORBOZ
Romain HAMOUMA.
In my opinion, Romain Hamouma is the best option to play as a center-forward against Rennes. I am convinced that Claude Puel will choose this option. So yes, I agree that it would take a fairly physical attacker against the solid defense of Stade Rennes. An attacker capable of competing in aerial duels, and who can play a pivotal role in order to free up space for wingers. And Jean-Philippe Krasso has this profile. But I would be surprised if it was aligned from the start! Let’s not forget that he only played nine short minutes, it was against Lorient more came into play during the other three meetings … Moreover, I am not sure that the line up as a holder , for the first Ligue 1 match in his career, against a team as formidable as Rennes, put him in the best possible position.
Hamouma, for his part, proved against Lorient by scoring a double that he could successfully occupy this position. With his stalls, his percussion and his dribbling, the former Caen can turn a match on his own. At 33, he shows match after match that he still has legs. Current top scorer for the Greens at the start of the season, with 3 goals, it was he who opened the scoring for a sublime recovery against Marseille, showing the way forward for his team. Right foot, left foot, that’s not a problem for him.
In addition, we know that during the match, he often swaps with his attacking cronies, in particular Denis Bouanga, who can also play at the forefront. Nordin, on the other hand, showed certain limits in this position against Nantes. So, failing to have a real number 9, Hamouma must be aligned at the forefront of the Stéphanoise attack to lead his team to a fourth victory in 5 matches, and thus keep first place in the standings.
Yohann GIL