Times are changing in Toulouse. Last season their style of play wasn’t very pleasing on the eye. Too often the strikers were left isolated and the negative game plan was painful for the Téfécé faithful to watch.
What a difference a few months and a change of philosophy can make. Sunday’s 0-0 draw at home to Marseille would usually be seen as a positive point. Coach Alain Casanova thought otherwise:
"We have missed a trick. I regret the fact we weren't able to decide it when OM were reduced to ten men. We should have added a little more inspiration. I get the impression that my players still don't have faith in themselves, that they set themselves limits.”
For any side to show disappointment at only gaining a point against the 2009-10 champions shows the change of mentality at the Stade Municipal this season. The manager hasn’t changed; even the playing squad hasn’t changed too much from last season.
An 8th place finish last term doesn’t seem disastrous but they did finish the season with the 14th worst record in front of goal, a solid defence saved the campaign from being a complete write off.
Alan Casanova came under a lot of criticism last season and it seems he has started the season with a new attacking philosophy. Without changing the formation, he has allowed his midfielders to get forward and support the lone striker whenever possible.
In the first game of the season against Ajaccio the average position of the midfielders (above left) shows the support given by Paulo Machado (5) and Moussa Sissoko (22), on the left Franck Tabanou (10) was given license to attack down the flanks and both full backs pushed up playing quite a highline.
New Turkish striker Umut Bulut looked lively and with players to link with the performance, the subsequent 2-0 victory would have given the away fans an optimistic outlook for the season.
This new attacking style continued against both Dijon and Nice with Machado, Sissoko and Adrien Regattin supporting Bulut, and then against Nice, wide man Daniel Braaten spent plenty of the game advanced further forward than Bulut. This was unheard of in a Toulouse game last season.
Before the start of the season there was some excitement over what this Toulouse side could achieve this season. The signings of Emmanuel Riviere from St-Etienne and Umut Bulut from Trabzonspor showed that Casanova wanted to bolster the front-line. Last season Xavier Pentecote and Yanis Tafer just weren’t good enough to fill the boots of outgoing forward Andre-Pierre Gignac, but this seasons signings look to be paying off for Casanova.
The Turk Bulut gave himself a target of 15 goals this season. With two goals in ten games and the return of Riviere it will take a herculean effort from Bulut to reach his target but it was refreshing to see a forward confident in his abilities wanting to succeed for his new side.
Wins against Ajaccio and Dijon followed by the last minute equaliser at Nice saw Toulouse holding their heads high before the home match against PSG. One factor that made the start even more impressive was the amount of injuries the club started the season with, showing that this new mentality was not just limited to the first team but the squad had developed a collective strength, and that sort of spirit will only lead to a positive season.
New signing Emmanuel Riviere missed the first five games of the season. Influential players Daniel Braaten and Etienne Capoue missed the start of the season and to top it off the excellent Etienne Didot has only recently made his long awaited return from injury. For any other team this could have destroyed the start to the season, but it seemed to spur Toulouse on to a wonderfully unexpected start.
Last season Ali Ahamada was the fourth choice goalkeeper at the club, this season he has played all ten games and the ten goals conceded shows the 21-year old has definite potential.
Another success story is the young Tunisian defender Aymen Abdennour, who’s growing partnership with Daniel Congre is blossoming game by game. He is averaging 6.5 clearances a game, along with 2 interceptions and 1.5 tackles a game, with his average of only 1.4 fouls a game showing the excellent timing of his tackles and the intelligent positions he takes up on the field.
Undoubtedly the best player in the TFC shirt this season has been left-midfielder Franck Tabanou. In ten games he has two goals and three assists. Last season he finished with five assists so he is well on the way to smashing that number this season.
The added firepower upfront and the support from midfield has not only given Tabanou a license to attack but there are now more options for him to find in the box with his deadly left-foot. His stats are very impressive; his average rating of 7.16 is one of the best in Ligue 1. Averaging 2.4 key passes a game and 1.9 shots, he is a threat all over the pitch.
As one of Toulouse most creative influences his passing accuracy of 79% seems a little low but combined with his average of 2.3 accurate long balls and 2.4 accurate crosses per game show that he is the player trying to find that final ball most of the time and his influence over this Toulouse side is growing with every game.
Any team that features a threat on either flank can usually be dealt with by overloading the cover on that side of the pitch; unfortunately this will not work against Casanova’s side. Surprisingly the majority of TFC’s attacks come down the right side (40%) with 33% coming from the left; this is far from a one dimensional team.
So far this season they have only scored 12 goals, conceding 10. Five of their goals have come from set-pieces, highlighting the danger of Tabanou’s left foot and the physical size of this side. Another two goals have come on the counter-attack. Three from open play and two penalties make up the numbers.
Sometimes with one forward upfront the tendency can be to play a long ball looking for the midfield to push forward and support. The stats show that this is not an option Toulouse often pursue. In an average game they only attempt 61 long balls compared to 370 short passes. Trying to play football “the right way” seems to be part of Casanova’s philosophy.
In any new way of thinking or a new approach there has to be careful attention not to slip into old habits. In their 3-0 defeat to Sochaux the average position tables (image two, right) show the midfield, lead by Moussa Sissoko (22), sitting very deep and Franck Tabanou (10) staying wide on the touchline with frontman Riviere looking an isolated figure.
If Casanova can continue to play in this attacking style there is no doubt that Le Téfécé will be real contenders for a Europa League place this season. Encouraging performances against PSG and Marseille show that they are heading in the right decision. If Umut Bulut reaches his target of 15 goals and Emmanuel Riviere continues to impress, Alain Casanova’s side will become a team to be feared in Ligue 1.
