Brest is fifth in Ligue 1, and the advancing season is not taking the Bretons away from the top of the table. Are Eric Roy’s men on their way to historic European qualification?
In Brittany, the seasons follow one another and are not alike; at least, when it comes to football. THE Brest Stadium is 5th in Ligue 1 with 28 points, when it hosts FC Lorient, 17th and relegated, this Wednesday evening at 9:00 p.m. At the same stage last year, it was the Merlus who had 28 points and were close to the European places, while the Brestois occupied 17th place in the championship. The Lorientais lost several important players in 2023: Terem Moffi, Enzo Le Fée, Ibrahima Koné, Dango Ouattara, Armand Laurienté… But the Brest squad only experienced very slight adjustments this summer: how to explain this European form ?
It’s difficult to hope for a sunnier start to the season in Finistère. Without committing large financial resources, Stade Brestois already seems to have ensured its maintenance: 28 points acquired before mid-season, barely 10 less than should be necessary to remain in the elite. Above all, comfortably installed in 5th place with two points behind the podium, Eric Roy’s men should be immensely reasonable not to start dreaming of Europe. Sweet illusion or realistic horizon?
The quest for balance
The start of the Brest season is based on solid and immovable foundations: firstly a midfield which combines work and technical quality, like Pierre Lees-Melou, one of the best recoverers in the championship, and Mahdi Camara, who adds greater ability to carry the ball and progress the play. While the men in midfield rake, the creative aspect is left to the wide players.
Romain Del Castillo is at the top of his game, and is responsible for most of the Brest offensives. The former Rennais is the team’s top scorer and best passer (5 goals and 4 assists). He also has 44 key passes (passes leading to a shot), which is three times more than anyone else on the squad and the second highest total in League 1behind Téji Savanier.
Head in the clouds
Brest’s momentum can also be explained by the new contribution of its full-backs. Kenny Lala, who arrived last winter, shows that he is still one of the best specialists in the position in France. On the left of the defense, Bradley Locko has been unstoppable since his arrival this summer from Reims (100% of minutes played). A great deal at just half a million euros for a 21-year-old player, who is the defender who completes the most dribbles in Ligue 1 this season. Offensive qualities that Jean-Kévin Duverne, who held the position last season before leaving for Nantes, did not have.
These formidable corridor leaders fuel a dominant attack in the air: Steve Mounié is the player who has won the most aerial duels in the league this season, but the Brestois can also count on Jérémy Le Douaron and Martin Satriano in this area. Brest is quite simply the best team in Ligue 1: 54.9% of aerial duels won.
Bizot and Del Castillo, the strong links
So the question arises: can Stade Brestois maintain this form? A priori, nothing stands in the way: the team does not outperform offensively and does not benefit from exceptional success in relation to the chances it creates or suffers. Certainly, Marco Bizot is one of the most decisive goalkeepers in the championship this season, but his past performances lead us to believe that he can maintain these standards.
The fact remains that the team is very dependent on the creativity of Romain Del Castillo, and that few players have the profile to replace him in the event of a drop in performance or a physical problem. Franck Honorat, the most decisive player last season, left for Borussia Mönchengladbach for eight million euros. Billal Brahimi, on loan fromOGC Nice, is struggling to shed its “super-sub” label. The young Kamory Doumbia is gaining strength but is not a real corridor player.
A fragile dynamic?
Until now, injuries have spared the Ty’ Zefs, who will still only be deprived of Achraf Dari and Jordan Amavi on Wednesday evening against Lorient. Stays in the infirmary for executives could disrupt a dynamic which is based on a very small group (9 players started at least 14 of the first 16 championship matches) and experienced (27.4 years on average, third oldest squad League 1).
The winter transfer window should not allow the squad to be strengthened, because Europe does not seem to be a short-term objective and the main idea remains to perpetuate the club in the elite. There is also no reason for the team to weaken: no player is particularly “bankable”, the best elements being experienced players who do not stand out statistically. It is therefore difficult to predict the second act of the Brest season, but it would be very presumptuous to prohibit such a team from thinking, in secret, of the little music of Europe.