Next newsletter will be sent @ 16.00 UK time today and will cover the weekend J-League games, those notes will take a slightly different form this week, a couple of full previews, but at least a few lines about almost all games, which is kind of standard for Japan at this key time of the season.
 

France: Ligue 2

 

Le Havre- Sochaux

 

Last  Friday I previewed Le Havre's trip to Valenciennes and spoke about how inconsistent the pair were, but also the better potential of the visiting team and the lack of experience in the VAFC squad, those notes are reproduced in full below the good luck sign off and I suggest that you start today with a quick re-read . For once, these two did what was expected and HAC ran out the 1-0 winner, courtesy of an early and very well taken Mathieu Duhamel (pictured) goal, he should have had another with a one on one and HAC almost paid for that when Valenciennes were awarded a dubious looking penalty, but this was saved by giant keeper Fabien Farnolle and justice was done. It was a game of very few real chances, but I have to admit to being rather impressed with HAC, I saw video of them in warm up and they were really going for it, much more than you normally see ( I always try to get into Griffin Park early to see how the opposition prepare, it is incredible btw how many teams come out for the second half and do no last minute warm up at all, the Bees always do at least 90 seconds or so, but I digress) , keeper Farnolle must have saved 100 shots and was drenched in sweat going back to the changing rooms, they came out fired up, looked sharp and got that early breakthrough goal. Every key moment was celebrated as a group, which I always like , they were really pumped by the win and there were extended and jubilant celebrations after the game shown on the club website. You can learn quite a bit from titbits like these and this is clearly a very together group of players, you cannot fake joy and comradeship and we know they have ability.
 

The mood in the home camp was very different, the lack of confidence shone through and this was not helped by the players being booed off the field by their own supporters at both half and full time ! They are probably happy to be on the road today, but we need to see a major improvement before we could ever consider backing them and it is hard to see where that is going to come from at present, although as I said below, this is kind of when they are at their most dangerous. However, having seen them with my own eyes, I am happy to take them on .
 

HAC now need a solid home win, they are little changed for today with just Ferland Mendy replacing Jérôme Mombris at left back, Mendy made is debut in a 1-0 road win at Sochaux at the end of last season and Le Havre have kept clean sheets in his two 90 minute outings in this campaign, so they will be confident the 20 yo can do a job. Sochaux are really struggling, in the drop zone and with just four goals all season, three of which have been scored by Karl Toko Ekambi, who has notched ten of just 20 that the visitors have scored in 31 Ligue 2 starts since the halfway mark last season. They have averaged 0.87 points per game over that sequence, which equates to 33 over a full season a total which would have seen them fall at least eight points short of the survival target in each of the last three seasons and this is a teams who's struggles are deep rooted and not "new". If Le Havre are going to have that mid season push (see below) they can ill afford to drop points in games like this, especially with only one more home game before December.

 

1.5 units Le Havre -0.5 ball 2.14 asian line/Sportmarket.
 

 

Le Havre: Farnolle, Milosavljevic - Puel, Chebake, Bain, Fortes, Cambon, Mendy - Fontaine, M'Bami, Bonnet, Gamboa, Manzala - Mendes, Gimbert, Duhamel.

 

Sochaux: Werner, Camara - Vivian, Teikeu, Onguéné, Gibaud, Faussurier - Tardieu, Ilaimaharitra, Martin, Ramaré, Rayos, Guerbert - Sao, Cissé , Toko Ekambi.

 

 

 

Valenciennes- Le Havre  (written October 16th )

 

These two teams would never win any awards for consistency and the truth is you are never quite sure what you will get from either and they tend to put in an eye catching performance , just when you have written them off. Well, both are due today, HAC are without a win in five since a 4-0 road win at Lens and VAFC have scored just twice in five outings since a 5-1 away win at Red Star, which kind of says everything about the pair ! The visitors are the better side for me and I do expect them to go on a mid/late season charge at some stage, something they have made a bit of a habit of in recent campaigns.
 

Ahead of that last win for the visitors I spoke about their odd start to the season ( playing better without their star player) and how they had spent well in the transfer window and might be better off without him.....

After winning their first two games , Le Havre have lost their last three in legue and cup, the last two without scoring, It was a little odd, at least in terms of the two Ligue defeats as they had Mickael Le Bihan back in the team for those , after he sat out the two wins ! MLB was top scorer in L2 last season with 18 goals and got a lot of attention from other clubs, including in the Championship, he seemed and still seems sure to be transferred before the window closes and on reflection, it was probably wrong to play him if his heart was already elsewhere, once players want to move, or feel they are likely to, they are effectively already gone and very few can continue to perform for their old club. I am not putting the blame on him, he was prepared to play which is more that most would have done, but it probably didn't help team harmony, he is not in the squad today and it looks like he is signing for Nice this morning, which I feel will be good for all concerned.

Le Havre have not let the grass grow under their feet and have themselves been incredibly busy in the transfer market this week adding centre back Denys Bain who was one of the few bright sparks last season in a poor Chateuaroux side and two hugely experienced forwards in Ghislain Gimbert and Mathieu Duhamel. The pair have been prolific at this level, Duhamel scored 10 goals in Ligue 1 last season and 24 (!) in L2 during Caen's promotion season of 2013-14, Gimbert scored 14 for Troyes that same season and has signed from Zulte-Waregem. These look very good business to me and all three should slot in quite seemlessly and hugely increase options in what was already a very strong squad. The trio have all travelled and I expect to see game time from all three.

 

A 4-0 road win, with your two new strikers scoring three between them should have been the catalyst for a big run into the top three, which was certainly the target pre season, but it has not yet happened and one goal subsequently from the front pair is a poor return. However, the home defeat to Red Star aside, I do not thing they have played too badly and they led in both starts in that sequence against the top two, Dijon (away) and Metz before losing narrowly in the first and having to settle for a point in the second and my suspicion remains that they are better than they have so far shown us.
 

Early season, ahead of a trip to Metz, I spoke about the youth of this Valenciennes group..........

That played out well for us with Clermont winning 3-1 and it turned into a bit of an endurance test for VAFC who had to play over an hour with nine men after both defensive midfielder Abdoul Kabore and left back Saliou Ciss were dismissed. I guess the loss of the former tonight is not too bad as Baradji (see above) returns, but Ciss is a big loss as fellow left back Loris Nery is injured, that will mean a start for 19 yo Moussa Niakhaté who has only ever made six Ligue 2 starts ( one win). The visitors have made the trip with just four defenders and with, in addition to Niakhaté, SEVEN teenagers in the squad and ten of fifteen outfield players are aged 20 or younger and that is too little experience IMO. They have no recognised, senior left winger with Sigamary Diarra and Sebastian Roudet injured, so incredible weak on that flank and huge pressure on Niakhaté, which Metz will surely target.
 

Today they are again without Ciss and Kabore who are both suspended, Roudet and Diarra (see all four above) remain sidelined too, along with a couple of others and it is once again a squad with too many teenagers (five) and lacking width and experience in key areas and there is not much by way of creative spark behind the front men and it is no surprise that they have failed to score in just shy of 300 minutes. No result would truly surprise with these two, but I feel HAC should be favourites, have more potential and are in better shape today and certainly pose more goal threat for my money.