Nothing is going well for AS Saint-Étienne. Beaten on the lawn of Rodez (2-1) during the penultimate day of Ligue 2, the Greens suffered a third consecutive defeat and saw the direct rise elude them a little more. Still third, they are now under pressure from Red Star and left behind by Le Mans, second.
The frustration continued after the final whistle. Philippe Montanier had a very tense exchange with Saint-Etienne supporters present on the road, to the point of coming close to physical slippage, according to RMC. Luan Gadegbeku intervened to calm things down and avoid an escalation.
Faced with the media, Montanier wanted to defend his group, visibly affected by certain accusations. “We went to see our supporters who came. We understand their anger, their frustration. I understand, but I think the team didn’t cheat. When fans say they cheated, for me it’s not true. The players did not cheat, in fact the end of the match shows it »he said.
A tense final sprint
A feeling of injustice dominated Philippe Montanier in the face of criticism aimed at the attitude of his players: “At 2-0, there was everything for the team to collapse. I accept everything, that people say that we are not good, that we find it unfair. »
Lucid, he nevertheless recognizes that the current series fuels the frustration of supporters: “We know very well that their anger and their frustration are totally justified and that we must necessarily do much better, much more if we want to hope for more. »
The final sprint promises to be stifling. ASSE shares third place (57 points) with Red Star and remains two points behind Le Mans. On the last day, the Greens will host Amiens, already relegated, while Le Mans will travel to Bastia, still concerned by maintenance.
