There are many of them, in the Nantes group called up for the round of 16 of the Youth League – this Wednesday (3 pm) at the ground of RB Salzburg – who are worth watching. Among others is Tom Mabon, a goalkeeper who misses weekend Championship matches due to competition, who finds a window of exposure through these matches, the hero of the penalty shootout during the previous three rounds. Or Exaucé Mafoumbi, center forward and double scorer against Sevilla in the play-offs (3-3 in the past). But we’ve focused on four other individuals who will be closely watched. It is Stéphane Moreau, the Nantes U19 coach, who makes the presentations.
Enzo Mongo (18 years old), central defender
It seemed to be hampered early in the season by the team Nathan Zeze – Bastian Meupeau. He is now captain in the youth league and trains regularly with the pro team.
Stephane Moreau: “When I get to the beginning of the season, I’m on the verge of not starting the championship. Because it’s not possible, it’s not what I want. We had some discussions about that, I think there was also a psychological milestone to cross. Each season, he did not start, and won only in November-December. He went into it and it shook. He didn’t initiate, he was a bit soft, he lacked rhythm, intensity in all areas. Defensively too he was a bit sluggish, never changing pace and no expression. As soon as he increased the intensity, the dynamic was no longer the same. And the question now was “does he play or not”. It became “He becomes our captain”. He is a great boy in human terms, a real group leader because he has poise and maturity. It is healthy, really affects the whole. This is just a psychological obsession.
Stredair Appuah (19), striker
His outstanding debut with the pros last spring seemed to carry over into the preseason. Then the winger disappeared from the rotation, blocked by the arrival of Edson or Marquinhos in his area. Since then, the right winger has sought to regain consistency.
Stephane Moreau: “He’s in a transition phase, he joined the pro group, did interesting things there, today he needs to find a balance to confirm. He is a player who mainly depends on aspects of rhythm, explosiveness, changes of pace. But if he is to make them effective, he must make connections in his relations with others, in his openness. He has the ability to take away, to accelerate, now it will be his ability to play the right way, to be more decisive. This is the step that will make the shift. He is currently in this research. The professional world is demanding, at some point you have to organize everything in your operation, it has to be square. You have to be there when it happens, and you have to prepare for it. »
Malang Gomes (18 years old), defensive midfielder
It is one of these environments that is able to create doubt, among certain instructors, between those who see the range of action and those who see relative waste. For the U18 international, questions have faded in recent weeks.
Stephane Moreau: “There is promiscuity, incredible energy. And then it’s a rival, it’s someone who likes it. It had a rough start, as it sometimes does at that age. We believe that everything will unfold and that it will happen easily, that it will happen by itself. He fell into a bit of depression, impatience, then he put things back in the right direction. It’s in progress, it could be something really interesting. It is close to N’Golo Kanté. In slaughter, generosity, values. Afterwards, he still needs to adjust this technical relationship. When we have these values, if it holds them, they will be passed, because they are required values. However, he has to improve his game a bit, be more judicious in his availability, his movement, his information gathering. But these collector values are really interesting. »
Louis Leroux (18 years old), midfielder
The left-handed player followed all his training at FC Nantes and it is difficult not to see a connection with Jordan Veretout, Valentin Rongier or Quentin Merlin with his physical activity, the quality of his (left) foot and his versatility: midfielder, he often helped as a left back.
Stephane Moreau: “He is great, square, intelligent. He has a lot of volume and legs. In this volume, we have to bring some strength, legs, explosiveness. He helped me a lot, because I had some problems in the post. He is able to adapt but His preferential zone is in the middle within the game. Because he is a good animator, someone who can give meaning to the creation of the game, the animation going forward. He comes from pre-training and everything he does has the principles of the club, Players like him find themselves there. He has intelligence, the ability to understand situations: in the middle, you have to understand very quickly, analyze very quickly. »
(Tagsto translation
