16th in Ligue 1 at the end of the 26th day, FC Lorient is one of the clubs fighting for their survival.
With 24 points on the clock, the Merlus are only 2 points ahead of FC Metz of Frédéric Antonetti, currently the play-off.
But the Breton club gives the impression of knowing the way forward.
While the residents of the Moustoir stadium occupied 19th place in the rankings the day after the 20th day, President Loïc Féry was not alarmed.
Several presidents could indeed have panicked and taken the decision to dismiss their coach, but not the boss of Les Merlus, serene in an interview with
Ouest-France
in early February: “
I am convinced that we are more likely to hold on with Christophe Pélissier and his staff than without him.
Our staff are used to this kind of situation, and they have been fully involved in building the squad
”.
Christophe Pélissier is therefore still in place today on the Breton bench and has been able to raise the bar by noting the support of his management.
Since then, FCL has recovered and now occupies 16th place in Ligue 1 by having reversed Troyes (17th) by 2 points, while ESTAC was 4 lengths away and occupied 15th place two months ago.
To discover
Calendar and results Ligue 1
League 1 standings
The decisive Lorient substitutes
In their last 6 games, the orange and black have obtained 8 points with a balanced record of two wins, two draws and two defeats.
If the Hakes have managed to move up the rankings, it is largely thanks to their bench players.
A classic for FCL in 2022. Indeed, 4 of their last 6 goals have been scored by substitutes, against none of their previous 18.
In the new calendar year, it's more than any other Ligue 1 team. Ibrahima Koné and Sambou Soumano thus scored 2 goals each on returning during the match.
The first city scored his only 2 goals of the season each time less than 3 minutes after having walked on the lawn!
During the derby against Brest last weekend, the Lorient man found the net after 2 minutes and allowed his team to leave the red zone.
Clermont, second best team in 2022
The change of year will have been beneficial to Clermont Foot 63. After a somewhat difficult aftermath and a slack period between the end of last year and mid-January, during which Pascal Gastien's training did not imposed only once in 11 matches, the promoted has come back to life in recent weeks.
It was following a solid victory against Rennes (2-1) on January 23 that the turning point took place.
Since this 22nd day, the Auvergne club has lost only one of its last five Ligue 1 matches, thus collecting 10 points thanks to a record of 3 wins, 1 draw and only one defeat.
In 2022, only Paris Saint-Germain can boast of posting a better total.
The CF63 gleaned more points than Lyon, Marseille, Nice, Rennes or Strasbourg.
Last week Pascal Gastien showed himself satisfied with the point taken, a lack of better, against the Girondins de Bordeaux “
We were methodical in relation to what we wanted to do.
Above all, it was important not to lose.
We played to win but from the moment we didn't score that second goal, we didn't have to concede a goal ourselves.
We can't do much better today.
»
A defensive game that solidifies
This good pass allowed Clermont to go from 17th place at the end of the 21st day to 15th place, only five days later.
The Clermontois are 6 points ahead of FC Metz, play-off.
It is in particular thanks to a defensive animation which is perfecting that the formation of Pascal Gastien manages to garner points and confidence.
The Auvergne club has only conceded four goals and conceded only 17 shots on target in their last 5 games.
At the same time, they achieved two clean sheets (victory without conceding a goal) against teams launched in the race for Europe, against Nice (0-1) and against Marseille at the Vélodrome (0-2).
At the end of the match against Marseille, Pascal Gastien did not hide his satisfaction at having been able to bring back the three points from the Marseille city, “
We had an intelligent match, to try to go to the end, to take points.
Because we need points.
I think we made a good operation today, because we must be the only ones at the end of the table to win.
So whether in Marseille or elsewhere, these are 3 important points earned.
In addition to showing themselves to be more and more solid, Mohamed Bayo's team also showed formidable precision.
Pascal Gastien at the controls of Clermont VALERY HACHE / AFP
A calendar full of pitfalls
For their next meetings, Lorient and Clermont will face almost the same teams and will have a lot to do to grab the essential points for their maintenance, especially FC Lorient.
Indeed, the men of Christophe Pélissier receive this Friday Olympique Lyonnais who must imperatively relaunch in the race for Europe after their defeat against Lille.
Thereafter, the teammates of Thomas Monconduit will have to rub shoulders with armed teams for Europe such as PSG, Rennes, Marseille, Nice or Strasbourg.
But that's not all, the Hakes will also cross paths with direct opponents for the maintenance, namely Metz, Clermont, Saint-Etienne as well as Bordeaux and Troyes during the last two days.
A real obstacle course.
On the Auvergne side, the road seems a little less winding.
Pascal Gastien's players will also face superior teams and still in the running for European qualification such as Paris, Lyon, Strasbourg, Lens, Lille or Nantes, as well as teams still in the race for maintenance such as Metz or Troyes.
Besides that, Mohamed Bayo's teammates will play against Brest, Angers and Montpellier.
