ChristopheVAFC

The match has just ended at the Stade du Hainaut. A 2-1 defeat against the bottom team in the league... VA reduced the deficit in the 91st minute. We've lost more points foolishly tonight, what a shame... Allez VA !

Half-time here at the Stade du Hainaut. Well, we're losing 2-0 to Stade Briochin at the break. It's been a tough match so far. I told you so this morning. Capable of playing great games against the big teams and capable of losing against the smaller teams... Will we see a comeback in the second half? Allez VA !

VAFC: "I realized that at this level, you have to be very professional," Alexi Koum's realization Alexi Koum, 20, has grasped what playing top-level football demands in terms of professionalism and effort. This self-reflection has allowed the full-back, on loan to Valenciennes from Olympique de Marseille, to gain a significant advantage over Abdelwahed Wahib on the left flank. Barely 20 years old, but already a seasoned pro. Alexi Koum was asked about his objectives with OM, where he will return this summer, while on loan to Valenciennes. The left-back offered a quick answer: "Right now, I'm really focused on finishing the season strong with Valenciennes." "The starting positions keep piling up for the youngster from Villeneuve-Saint-Georges (Val-de-Marne), who hasn't left Valenciennes' starting eleven since a 4-1 defeat in Dijon, a loss that hardly bodes well for the future. "I'm like doubting Thomas, I only believe what I see," explains Stéphane Moulin about him. "From the moment a lad shows he's committed and gets ahead of his direct competitor…," the coach has objectively no reason not to call him up. It's the very definition of "healthy competition, and I'm open to that." While Abdelwahed Wahib is paying the price at the start of this year, Alexi Koum isn't taking his slight advantage for granted. "Nothing is set in stone, nothing is fixed in our team. It's up to me to keep playing well, keep working hard." Because Abdel is here too. We're two in the same position and we both want to play. But I think we push each other to improve." "Not the behavior of a professional player" Between the player he was in September and the one he has become, it's like night and day. "He realized he couldn't achieve anything worthwhile without hard work, dedication, discipline, focus, and concentration," notes Stéphane Moulin, who had wondered if it was even worth continuing with him "because he didn't have the behavior of a professional player." He didn't give up on him, even if it meant being tough on him. "And there are two ways to look at it: either the player thinks, 'The coach doesn't like me, it's not my fault,' or he takes what he's told to heart." "We've witnessed a rather radical change, as surprising as it may seem, but it's to his credit." “Stéphane Moulin, on Alexi Koum Alexi Koum admits: “To be honest, I wasn’t necessarily giving my best.” Stéphane Moulin pinpoints the turning point to mid-October: “We witnessed a rather radical change, as surprising as it may seem, but he deserves credit for it.” The player isn’t sure if it was a turning point. The discussions he had with the coach and sporting coordinator, Mathieu Frison, eventually took root in his mind. “It made me want to do more”: a lot of gym work, individualized sessions, “there’s also nutrition, sleep, that kind of thing; once I started, I didn’t stop.” Alexi Koum is on a roll. VALENCIENNES – SAINT-BRIEUC, Friday, 7:30 p.m., Stade du Hainaut. Live on BFM TV and FFFtv.

Hello friends, how are you after this perfect week for our two clubs? News from Valenciennes after last Friday's victory at the league leaders, FC Rouen. The week has gone pretty well here in Valenciennes, where the only official announcement has been the departure of Sambou Sissoko, who has signed for FK Qabala, an Azerbaijani first division club. He hadn't been playing for some time and his departure from the club was only a matter of days away, but now it's official. Today is another league match day, and Valenciennes welcomes Stade Briochin, currently bottom of the league, to the Stade du Hainaut. This is the team that beat us at home in the first leg. You might think that since we managed to beat the league leaders at their home ground, beating the bottom team at home will be easier, but beware! We'll need to use the same ingredients as last week and score early to avoid any scares! VA is capable of the best and the worst, haha. We need to take advantage of the momentum to secure a second consecutive victory and move away from the bottom of the league table. As usual, kick-off for this match is at 7:30 p.m. French time, and you will find the link to the match below: I will share the local press coverage for this match in another post. Have a great day, everyone. Allez Valenciennes !!

Yesterday's match proved that football is full of surprises and suspense right up until the last minute of play. The first half was a disaster, even though the players could have opened the scoring very early on if Cameron Archer had scored. The first two goals could have been avoided. In the first case, if the goalkeeper had been more decisive, he could have stopped the ball. In the second case, the players need to communicate more and the goalkeeper should not have come out like that. The third goal, although beautiful, it must be said, could have been avoided with more defensive impact. I think Tonda must have had a strong word with the players in the dressing room at half-time. We thought the match was over, but we could sense that the Southampton players were out for revenge and wanted to show a better side of themselves. The hardest part was scoring the first goal to make it 3-1. After that, our confidence returned and doubt set in among the Foxes. The second and third goals, which came shortly before the end of the match, allowed us to come away with at least one point, which was miraculous considering we were 3-0 down at half-time. The players continued to push forward and believe in themselves, and were rewarded at the very end of the match with a fourth goal, which sealed the victory. It just goes to show that the team is capable of great things. It's a shame they lost time and points at the start of the season... Let's keep believing!

Exactly, probably ragequit haha

This reaction after the Saints' fourth goal: - First person: prefers to hide under his jacket. - Second person: no reaction, just shocked. - Third person: thinks it's a bad joke and prefers to laugh it off. They look so disappointed, haha. Always believe until the very last second! Congratulation again, Saint's Friend !!!

Beautiful comeback really 👌💪

Incroyable ! Magnifique ! This is the Saints !

Crazy end match 😳😳

Non match really 😟😔

Good match for you, saint's friend ! COYS !!!

Dear friends. Best wishes to you and all Southampton supporters. We have one thing in common: it's not an easy time for any of us, that's true. For us, things have been complicated since the 2014 season, when we were relegated to Ligue 2. Oh yes, there are other clubs that have had less luck than us. Bordeaux, Ajaccio, and Nimes, for example, had to drop down to the amateur level... It's really the sporting side of things that needs to work for us, because everything else is generally going well...

VA is above all a club whose supporters always go through a whole range of emotions, haha! We rarely have quiet seasons, and this year is no exception! It's true that we can't always agree! As football supporters, we remain in love with our club no matter what happens. Allez VA and Come on you Saint's !

The press after the match 2 National League: One goal, two saves, Sakhalou Niakaté's outstanding performance shines for Valenciennes The right-back made two crucial saves for his team before opening the scoring. He was the hero of the victory in Rouen. We don't know how many messages he received, but his phone nearly went haywire as he recounted his incredible evening. Sakhalou Niakaté certainly deserved the congratulations of his teammates from the youth academy, who will undoubtedly be talking about his performance in Rouen again when he comes to watch them play on Sunday against Saint-Amand in the top-of-the-table clash in the R1 league. In Normandy, he perfectly showed his teammates the way to win a big match. "A perfect evening" First, there were his two saves to keep his team in the game. Kenny Rocha's shot was about to go in (29th minute)? Niakaté headed the ball on the line with Jean Louchet beaten. Early in the second half, he had another chance to shine when, somehow, he tipped a ball over the bar that the whole stadium thought was heading for the goal (53rd minute). With a formidable opponent on his back, the imposing Ba Sy, Sakhalou Niakaté was pushed to his limits. "I asked everyone to do a little more, and he did, as he always does when I call on him," praised Stéphane Moulin. "And there you have it, three points!" The center-back by trade, deployed on the right in Rouen, also did that little something extra to stay true to his coach's vision: he opened the scoring and put Valenciennes on the path to victory. He won the corner after a thunderous 30-meter strike, which he promptly converted. "It's a perfect evening," he said, beaming, quickly bringing the joy of the moment back to the team. Niakaté's fine evening brought glory to Valenciennes and also rewarded a player who has been moving between the reserve team and the first team (6 matches, 2 goals) this season without getting carried away: "No matter where I play, I continue to work hard and I maintain the same determination. I only knew the day before the match that I was going to play; and there you have it, three points!" Simple as that.