The image made the rounds on social media.
On Sunday evening, Stade Rennais were leading in the West derby against FC Nantes (final score 3-0) when Ermining, the club's official mascot, appeared in the stands pulling a trash can containing... a plush canary.
The joke is fair game, but the Nantes supporters laughed out loud.
This 4th defeat in five Ligue 1 games places them 19th in the championship.
It's not much better on the European scene, since Antoine Kombouaré's men have only one victory for two defeats and could see their hopes of qualification seriously dwindle in the event of a defeat this Thursday against Fribourg.
A season to already put in the trash?
To discover
Calendar and results Europa League
Calendar and results Europa League Conference
The party against Olympiakos, then nothing
“
We have a lot of character and temperament.
I like the face we show, the fact of going all the way, of pushing our limits
, ”said Antoine Kombouaré after the victory against Olympiakos (2-1) in early September for the first in the League. Europe.
But this success snatched in the last seconds with a Beaujoire on fire and a coach who found his 20-year-old legs to celebrate the liberating goal remained unfulfilled.
We thought the summer turmoil was well behind with a soap opera Ludovic Blas closed, and a season finally started on the momentum of the previous one, which had seen the Canaries finish in the first half of the table in Ligue 1 and win the Coupe de France.
Since then, there have been six games without a win, including five defeats, and fifteen goals conceded.
Read alsoTops / Flops Rennes-Nantes: Gouiri untenable, Nantes too discreet
The party already seems far away, and the discourse, inevitably, has changed.
After the rout in Monaco on October 2 (4-1 defeat), Kombouaré spoke of “
cold anger
” and “
misunderstanding
”.
However, he did not lose confidence in a group that “
has a history of winning
” and “
the springs to bounce back
”.
But that was before a new correction in Rennes (3-0) last weekend after which the native of Nouméa (58) confessed, dejected: "
We are ashamed
".
The Seesaw Match
Nantes is forced to raise the bar when receiving Friborg this Thursday (6:45 p.m.) in the Europa League.
Problem, opposite stands a very solid German team, 2nd in the Bundesliga, and winner of the first game last week (2-0).
"
There was room
", regretted Kombouaré this Wednesday at a press conference, before giving the keys to Thursday's match: "
We will have to jostle them, be aggressive, be stronger offensively.
And finally score!
This is what we lack today
”.
The Canaries have only scored two goals in three games and also have the penultimate attack in Ligue 1. Symbol of these difficulties, Ludovic Blas, whom the club has done everything to keep but who is struggling today to retain his starting position.
Read alsoTops / Flops Fribourg-Nantes: German rigor, Nantes' lack of realism
The defeat in any case placed the Canaries 3rd in their group, three points from Karabagh and six units from the Germans.
A new defeat combined with a good result for Karabakh, which faces Olympiakos at home, and Nantes could already say goodbye to this European campaign, to then focus on the championship and a vulgar fight for maintenance.
Not the season supporters could legitimately dream of.
Reasons to believe
This Thursday, FC Nantes will once again be able to count on the unfailing support of La Beaujoire, who wishes to rediscover the festive atmosphere of the match against Olympiakos.
The players will be keen to do well, driven by a feeling of revolt.
"
Given the situation, they are all concerned, they are proud, their pride has been shaken
," said their coach at a press conference.
In Ligue 1, the Canaries can congratulate themselves on having already met most of the big teams in the championship.
PSG, OM, Monaco, Rennes, Lens and Lille have all already been faced in just ten games.
The calendar therefore looks easier in the coming weeks.
And even if the club finds itself playing maintenance, it can boast of having at the head of the team a coach accustomed to this type of situation... if he were to stay.
The person does not say he is concerned about the issue.
"
My situation is secondary, it's the least of my worries
," he said at a press conference, preferring to focus on how to "
find a solid team, capable of moving forward.
".
Will he find it against Freiburg?
Answer this Thursday.