Paris FC manager Liam Rosenior has named Moses Simon and Jonathan Ikoné as two important absentees whose unavailability limited his team’s attacking options in their 1-0 defeat to Lorient on Saturday, Footynaija reports.
The Nigerian winger missed the Ligue 1 encounter at Stade du Moustoir, where Gabin Bernardeau struck in the 69th minute to inflict Rosenior’s first league defeat since taking charge of Paris FC.
Paris FC enjoyed 60.4 per cent possession and completed 702 passes, but struggled to penetrate Lorient’s compact defensive block. They managed only three shots on target from 16 attempts, while the hosts registered five from eight efforts.
Related Post
Rosenior admitted his players struggled to find space against Lorient’s disciplined defensive setup.
“I cannot be hard on my players. It was very difficult with so little space,” the English manager said per L’Equipe. He also acknowledged the frustration after his side had expended considerable energy without securing a result.
He also defended their approach, explaining that Paris FC had tried to push Lorient as deep as possible but faced a difficult balance between attacking aggressively and maintaining defensive security.
The former Chelsea defender then pointed to Simon and Ikoné as players whose absence would have provided additional options out wide.
Their availability could have given Paris FC more pace, penetration and one-on-one quality against Lorient’s organised back line, although Rosenior stopped short of blaming their absence for the defeat.
“I am quite impervious to what is being said about us,” he added, dismissing suggestions that his team had lost its confidence after a promising start to the campaign.
“No player deviates from the plan we have set. We remain focused, aware of our strengths and weaknesses, and will quickly turn our attention to the next match against Rennes.”
Paris FC will now look to respond when they host Rennes, with Simon’s availability potentially important as Rosenior seeks to restore his side’s attacking threat.
