Back on the bench at Stade Rennais, Julien Stéphan will be eagerly awaited for his debut against Reims on Sunday (5:05 p.m.).
Two and a half years after his departure, Julien Stéphan makes his comeback to Rennes. The French technician succeeded Bruno Genesio on the bench of the Breton club, with a short-term objective: to raise the bar after a very disappointing start to the season on an accounting level.
The fact remains that it is Reims, a very attractive team, which will present itself on its route for the start of this second term. “ Obviously we will try to concede a minimum of opportunities and seek to create danger, launched the new Rennes coach at a press conference this Friday. Afterwards, when we have so little time to work together, we have to prioritize what we have done. The objective is also not to give ten different ideas to the players, but two or three essential ones, then they hold the keys.“
“We can play with a defense of four or three”
It remains to be seen in what tactical scheme this Stade Rennais version of Stéphan could present itself. Asked about the possibility of opting for a 3-5-2 scheme as he did with Racing Club de Strasbourg, the Rennes coach remained undecided, but he does not rule out any possibility. “ In Strasbourg, I used it because we didn’t have any other player characteristics to play in a different system. Here, we can play with a defense of four or three, there are the profiles for“, he concluded.