Brest with impenetrable defence this season, What caused their rise in performance?
Brest have a relatively young squad with an average age of 25.8 this season
We’re keeping our feet on the ground,” says Stade Brestois sporting director Grégory Lorenzi, who is refusing to be swept up by the sense of euphoria that has engulfed the club. Brest are fourth in Ligue 1, just two points off second-placed Nice.
A club of relatively meagre means, they have set a new blueprint for achieving success, which Sunday’s opponents, Olympique de Marseille, would be wise to follow.
In an attempt to bridge the unbridgeable financial deficit to the behemoth that is PSG, many clubs have followed the now well demarcated path of investing in youth.
While it is a strategy that may have considerable benefits off the pitch, the stark reality is that on the pitch, no team has succeeded in consistently challenging PSG in recent seasons.
That should come as little surprise; the strategy adopted by clubs such as Lille and Monaco, both of whom pipped PSG to the title before dropping off, breeds ephemeral success, with the most promising assets siphoned off for often eye-watering sums.
Brest have a great home record only losing 1 game at home this season
Brest’s strategy is different. “When I construct a team, it is always done to find a balance, with a certain number of players who bring experience and others who are younger who bring energy, dynamism and youth,” says Lorenzi.
In an increasingly youthful Ligue 1, experience has become a dreadfully undervalued asset. In last season’s 20-team league, Brest were the ninth oldest, yet, despite almost all of their squad remaining the same, they are now the third-oldest squad in the division. Resisting Ligue 1’s de-ageing trend is paying dividends.
Their impressive squad retention rate points to another strength. “Stability is also a source of success,” says Lorenzi. “The club has been growing and solidifying for the past five or six years. There has been continuity.
When you compare our squad from last season to this season, there have been very few changes. As a sporting director, it is my job to anticipate the construction of the squad, solidify our team and, for the continuity of the project, to keep the key players.”
Turnover is high at many clubs in Ligue 1, especially at Marseille, making Sunday’s encounter at the Stade Francis-Le Blé a game of contrast. Marseille have devoted themselves to a two-year cycle, with many players being moved on quickly, often just months after establishing themselves at the club.
With players such as Renan Lodi, Ruslan Malinovskyi and record signing Vitinha departing after just a matter of months at the Vélodrome, Marseille are testing the extremities of this strategy – and it isn’t paying off.