Signs of promise for ASSE

As the eleven St.Etienne players strode off the pitch at the Geoffroy-Guichard last night, there was a renewed sense of optimism emenating around the stadium, as Les Verts continue to show why they won’t be a pushover and will fight with every tooth and nail to stay in Division 2 this season. A 2-0 win over a Southampton side who had beaten the league leaders Everton just a few days earlier, put a halt to a slightly worrying winless run of four games, but there is no doubt that last night’s result could be a vital one in terms of the season as a whole.

“We’re doing relatively well” said Powell in his post-match interview. “I can’t really ask for much more from the boys at the moment. We’ve been on a poor run in the league recently, and having dropped into the relegation zone, plenty of sides in our position could have crumbled and started to fade away. But we’re determined not to let that happen. I’m delighted with the three points.”

In what was a very tight game, it was Japanese international Genki Haraguchi, one of a number of new signings, who proved to be the hero, bagging a brace, with the goals coming in the 73rd and 81st minutes to secure an unlikely, but impressive, victory. “The game was on a knife edge for the vast majority of the 90 minutes” said Powell, with the relief in his voice proving just how crucial a result this could be. “Both sides were very evenly matched, we had a goal ruled out for offside in the first half, but, especially towards the end of the opening 45, we were under a fair bit of pressure from Southampton, but we stood strong. I thought we managed to limit the superbly. Considering the quality they’ve got, with the likes of Chicharito, Denis Suarez, Bernard and more, they’re players we could only dream of having at ASSE. We managed to ride the storm though, and for the whole 2nd half, it looked like we’d cancel eachother out. But then up stepped Genki, not for the first time this season, and he’s gone and scored two excellent goals for us. He really is turning into a fantastic player for us.”

Powell is right, Haraguchi has been oustanding so far this season, and the stats don’t lie. The former Monchengladbach man has played all 9 games so far this season, scoring 4, and assisting 4 as well. He’s played in a number of positions, and last night played in both an attacking midfield role, as well as up front, scoring a goal while playing in each position. Powell also reserved special praise for 18 year old Kai Havertz, on loan from Juventus, who had an excellent game. “Kai was fantastic, it was his league debut for us and he came up trumps, grabbing the assist for our second goal. Despite his rating being lower than some of our other options, he’s certainly giving me something to think about.”

ASSE host FK Partizan on Tuesday in the 2nd round of the Top 100 cup, before playing our first home match of the World Club Shield against Club Brugge. On Thursday there is a visit to fellow newly-promoted side Sevilla, before league leaders Everton come to France on Sunday. 

“It certainly won’t be easy to stay up.” concluded Powell, “but if we can keep the points ticking over, you never know. Everyone always says you need to reach the magic 40 point mark. We’re currently 29 points off, with 29 games to play. A point a game is doable, and we’re going to put everything into making it happen.”