Before diving into the tops and flops of the match, let's take a look back at the probable lineup:
No information had leaked about Yohou's injury (due to the lack of a group announcement). Robin is paying the price for his contract situation, and it wasn't obvious that Rabillard would drop back a line to take his spot. Finally, Lauray was preferred over Bretelle. There are possibly several factors behind this starting spot, but Yohou's last-minute absence potentially required a captain able to take on that role, and Lauray took advantage of it. We'll see if Bretelle gets his spot back as the GWs go on...
So it's a very modest 8/11 in our prediction, largely due to the last-minute developments and the domino effect that followed.
Mafouta (76): He took on his role as a scorer and didn't spare his efforts. Up front, he keeps a step ahead of his competitors at the position!
Bourabaa (63): An assist and some very interesting dribbles with the ball at his feet!
Larouci (17): It seems Le Mans' wingbacks, and Larouci in particular, aren't quite "meta" for Sorare at the moment.
The impact players: Overall, Patrick Videira stressed in his press conference that the impact players didn't step up. More specifically, Erwan Colas wasn't effective and is also in the middle of a transfer to Ligue 2.
We could see a completely different defense as early as the next GW (or over the following GWs), with Voyer (or new signing Torrente), Yohou, and Sidibé (in place of Boissé). Nothing is settled yet, and doubts remain across several positions. Aside from Larouci, who should keep his spot since Calodat is on his way out, along with Buades, Kocik, and Mafouta, the other positions are open to fierce competition. We'll have to wait until the end of the transfer window to get a clearer picture of Le Mans' preferred lineup, if we can even pin one down...
