Gifts, Covid-19, ugly defeats… What's the problem with Racing?

Alexander Djiku was also affected by covid-19, like nine of his partners.

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• Things have not been going well at RC Strasbourg since the resumption of the season.

  The Alsatians lost during the first two days, in Lorient (3-1) and against Nice (0-2).

• How to explain this assessment?

  Defender (midfielder?) Alexander Dijku was asked.

• In terms of the transfer window, RC Strasbourg is also struggling.

  The Alsatian club is looking for a defensive midfielder capable of protecting its defense but cannot find it.

Sun, construction machinery busy on the future grounds and lots of shots nearby.

Thursday morning, the Strasbourg Racing Club's training lasted nearly two hours near the Meinau.

The time to see a few smiles despite a failed start to the season, with two defeats in Ligue 1. For what reasons?

Review of the ills that plague this Racing before the match in Saint-Etienne on Saturday evening (9 p.m.).

The fair for defensive "gifts"

Of the five goals conceded by the Alsatians, three in Lorient (3-1) and two against Nice (0-2), at least three are linked to gross errors on the part of the players.

In Morbihan, the responsibilities of Chahiri and Mitrovic are engaged while it is Koné who weighed down his family against the Azureans, not helped by a hazardous pass from Carole.

In this last game, Lala was also guilty of a failed dribble that led to the Aiglons' (lucky) second goal.

"We will have to stop giving gifts", sums up the defender Alexander Djiku, also thinking about the two whistled penalties.

“At the moment, we are not going to lie to each other: on the few chances that we concede, we take goals.

If we stop these errors, everything will start again.

"

A physical problem?

The question pissed off Thierry Laurey during his post-match conference on August 29.

Puffs in the impact of the people of Strasbourg?

“I have no problem saying that we weren't good, but don't tell me that we didn't respond physically […] It's not in the athletic field that I saw the Niçois dominate us, ”retorted the Racing coach.

This Thursday, Alexander Djiku had a different take on things.

“Physically, we were not all at the level because of the Covid-19 crisis.

A lot of players have been affected, including me.

In total, ten have contracted the virus, which has largely hampered the team's preparation.

The fault of this prolonged evening in a dance bar in Geneva at the end of July, without the agreement of the staff?

Interruption from the club's communications manager: “Alexander Dijku will not answer this question.

The subject was dealt with internally.

"We did two full weeks of preparation, we are much better," assures the former Caen.

Our Ligue 1 file

An amorphous transfer window

“We are looking for a player in front of the defense, something that cleans well.

“From the day of the recovery on June 29, Thierry Laurey announced the color.

He wanted a new recuperating midfielder to arrive.

More than two months later, the technician is still waiting.

The names of Gonalons, Gélin or recently Amadou have circulated but none has arrived.

So that Racing is still looking for a boss in the middle, where the Sissoko-Prcic and Sissoko-Simakan pairs were tried without convincing.

What if the solution finally came from within with… Alexander Djiku?

Tried in No. 6 in November last year, the defender by training had successfully transferred.

Except that the experience had stopped the day he had notified his coach of his refusal to continue to help out at the post, in mid-February.

Since then, he has come down a notch but does not seem closed to the idea of ​​going up.

“It's true that I had a good performance… That doesn't mean it's my favorite job, but I'm a competitor.

When I am needed, I try to be present, ”he said politely, before answering more clearly.

"Could we see you again in the middle?"

Why not, the coach will decide.

Perhaps as early as Saturday, in Saint-Etienne.

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Five behind against Sainté?

The team lined up without a chasuble at the end of training this Thursday could strongly resemble the one which will start in Saint-Etienne, Saturday evening in Ligue 1. Thierry Laurey had decided to return to a system in 5-3-2 (or 3- 5-2) which has long been successful for him in the past.

In it, the Simakan-Mitrovic-Djiku trio made up the axis of the defense, flanked by Lala on the right and Caci on the left.

In the middle, Prcic, Sissoko and Bellegarde were partners, behind the attacking duo Waris-Ajorque.

What about the keeper?

If Kawashima started both Ligue 1 games, Kamara was convincing despite the friendly defeat in Stuttgart last weekend (4-2).

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