Whoever succeeded Will Still at Stade de Reims looked to have inherited a thankless task. The Anglo-Belgian built a cult following over the course of his two seasons with Les Stadistes due to a long unbeaten run after succeeding Oscar Garcia on the sidelines and also thanks to a Football Manager anecdote that he struggled to shift.
However, he also put Reims back on the football map in France, and even almost took them into Europe. After multiple seasons of mediocrity, Still took Reims out of the ventre mou and got them dreaming of Europe. Ultimately, he could not lead them to the promised land and his desire to make the next step in his career saw him depart the Stade Auguste Delaune before the conclusion of the last campaign, in which Reims finished ninth.
Reims dismantle Montpellier
The appointment of Luka Elsner, although not without risks, looked shrewd. The Franco-Slovenian manager brought Le Havre AC into the top flight and then, on a shoestring budget, kept them there last season. Their survival bid was predicated on defensive solidity and Elsner built a cohesive unit. allowing HAC to finish the campaign with the ninth-best defence in the league. Given the Normand club’s financial constraints and the gap in quality to many rivals, even those staving off relegation, it was a considerable feat and one that rightly earned him a promotion to the hot seat at Reims.
However, the major question upon Elsner’s arrival was whether he could be more expansive at Reims. Still laid foundations and elevated expectations at the club and style, as well as substance, was needed. Thus far, Elsner has brought both, with the club currently sat in fourth in Ligue 1, level on points with supposed title contenders Olympique de Marseille.
Currently, Les Stadistes are conceding more goals per game than Le Havre did last season but already, they are looking like an exciting attacking outfit. Only Paris Saint-Germain, Olympique de Marseille and OGC Nice, helped by the 8-0 battering of AS Saint-Étienne, have scored more; with 14 goals in their first seven Ligue 1 matches, table-topping AS Monaco equal Reims’ record.
“[We are] capable of creating a lot of chances,” recognised Elsner after Les Stadistes’ latest victory, a 4-2 triumph over a struggling Montpellier HSC. As Michel Der Zakarian admitted, it “could have been 6-2″. Reims are averaging less possession than they did under Still last season, but Elsner is happy to be more direct; it is a style that he adopted, through necessity, at Le Havre. With increased quality in the forward areas, it is a style that is reaping rewards.
Elsner refuses to set objectives
That directness is suited to players such as Junya Ito and Keito Nakamura. The latter underwhelmed in his debut campaign in Ligue 1. With four goals in his first seven matches, he has already equalled his record from last season. Whilst Nakamura has rightfully earned plaudits for his start-of-season form, he is far from the only symbol of Reims’ excellent start.
Marshall Munetsi has been excellent, as has the N’Golo Kanté-inspired Valentin Atangana, and Cédric Kipré, whose line-breaking passes are a handy asset. Elsner says that it isn’t his “philosophy” to set objectives, and unburdened by the expectations that the manager himself has been subjected to, they are thriving.
It is early days but all the signs at Reims suggest that Still was not the be-all-and-end-all for the club, and his successor looks like a very capable custodian of a club that is trying, and for now succeeding, in breaking back into the elite in France.
This week’s Ligue 1 subplots
- AS Monaco are now the outright leaders of Ligue 1 thanks to their deserved win away to Stade Rennais. It is now the Principality club’s best start to a league season since 1960/61. The outcome of that season? Les Monégasques were crowned champions.
- Paris Saint-Germain slipped up against OGC Nice, being held to a 1-1 draw at the Allianz Riviera. Despite a difficult week, during which PSG lost to Arsenal, Luis Enrique nonetheless hailed a “promising” start to the season.
- Olympique de Marseille were thrown into the title conversation after a very bright start under Roberto De Zerbi, however, after a defeat to RC Strasbourg Alsace last weekend and a draw to rock-bottom SCO Angers on Friday, they are slipping out of that conversation. Already five points behind leaders Monaco, they already have a gap to make up.
