Metz-Lens: the savior Mikautadze, Lensoise inefficiency... The tops and the flops

TOPS

He has scored as much as the other players in the Metz squad since January and his return home. Deprived of playing time at Ajax Amsterdam, the Georgian took a few matches before restarting the machine. But his level regained, we quickly understood that he was the best player on the field this Friday evening. He improved every ball he touched. He first came close to scoring at the start of the game, receiving a corner (4th). It is on the same type of action that he will give some momentum to an amorphous team (33rd) since the opening of the Lensoise score (11th). Ten minutes later, it was he who enhanced Kévin N’Doram’s recovery to beat Samba with a sublime dive (45th). “Mister George” is determined to get Metz out of trouble, for the greatest pleasure of our eyes.

To hope to survive, FC Metz had to play like a team. This has not always been the case in recent weeks, particularly during the disaster against Monaco (2-5). But this Friday evening, several names can be cited among the successful performances. Kevin N’Doram, Pape Amadou Diallo and Kevin Van den Kerkhof were each decisive in their own way and, in the final minutes, all played intelligently. They defended well, together, against pressing Lensois in the final minutes and knew how to keep the ball to keep the minutes ticking by. Until the liberating final whistle.

FLOPS

At the half-hour mark, no one could imagine such a scenario. The Lensois controlled the game and were closer to scoring a second goal than conceding one. With 17 shots for the Lensois and only 2 on target, it is too weak for a contender for Europe, especially against a team which is playing not to go down. The number of balls that have flown above the cages is incalculable and shows a glaring lack of confidence in recent weeks. But football moves quickly and when we are not able to score, we are often punished. The Messins had a formidable weapon in attack and intended to use it if the opposing defensive largesse allowed it.

We only saw him once, and it represented his match well. A shot passed very far from the target, like him in his match. Unlike Said and Sotoca, ineffective but restless, Pereira Da Costa struggled to find his place in the midfield. He was constantly dominated by the Metz numerical superiority in the middle of the field and finished the match, unlike Wesley Saïd who could have finished, replaced by Wahi (60th). A choice which shows that Franck Haise was not more inspired this evening at Saint-Symphorien.