Rodez fell at home to Grenoble (0-1) on Friday night, a fresh defeat that has prompted manager Didier Santini to issue a stern warning. The coach responded with an uncharacteristically harsh training session on Monday, a clear message to a squad he believes is too often lacking focus.
A session to make a point
"It's rare that I start with that, but on Monday, I think I was very, very hard." Santini revealed after the session. This reaction follows a disappointing performance where Racing once again conceded an early goal, as they did against Pau and Nantes earlier in the campaign. Matthéo Xantippe's 11th-minute strike decided the match. Santini summed up his feeling: "On that match, I'm happy with 80, 90%. But the other 10 percent are catastrophic."
Recurring concentration issues
The coach pointed to a lack of collective aggression after losing possession and a defensive fragility. The injury to first-choice goalkeeper Quentin Braat doesn't help. In attack, the departure of Ibrahima Baldé to Lorient forces a rebuild around players yet to prove themselves. Midfielder Jordan Mendes has also lamented the team's lack of bite. Santini believes some players are still mentally stuck on last season or the summer transfer window, where some felt overlooked. This lack of focus is costing them in the standings.
The context and what's next
With this third loss in five games, Rodez are stuck in 8th place in Ligue 2 with 7 points. Their record reads two wins, one draw, and three defeats, with a -1 goal difference. The team now has a week to prepare for a key clash against 7th-placed Nancy next Friday at the Stade Paul-Lignon. Santini sees the ensuing three-week international break as a chance to "reset a lot of things." He admits two weeks usually feels too long, but this extended pause comes at the right time. The squad must quickly rediscover its cohesion, to string together positive results. The upcoming fixtures are demanding, and the response against Nancy will be closely watched.
