Gaëtan Laborde, a former favourite at the Stade de la Mosson, returns to Montpellier for the first time on Friday (21:00), leading a Rennes attack he has helped rediscover its bite - and panache! Profile...
In three seasons with Montpellier Hérault SC, Gaëtan Laborde imposed himself in the front line, gradually raising his level of play - in terms of passes leading to shots, assists and the all-important goals themselves - to end last season with an impressive total of 16 goals and seven assists. While several clubs were interested in signing him last summer, he chose Stade Rennais FC to take his game to the next level - and the results were immediate.
Red-hot form
He has already scored 17 goals this season - 12 in Ligue 1 Uber Eats (including three with MHSC in August) and five in the Europa Conference League - and his will to win has spread throughout the squad. Alongside him, the promising Martin Terrier has been transformed into a goal machine who has also exploded his personal-best goal tally by scoring 12 times in the league to go on par with Kylian Mbappé and Jonathan David behind Wissam Ben Yedder's league-high 14 strikes.
"I think that our complicity shows," explained Terrier a few weeks ago. "He is someone who talks a lot and who helps others to lift their game."
Montpellier coach Olivier Dall'Oglio, who met Laborde during the summer before the striker's move to Rennes, is not surprised by the success of this "lad with the temperament of a competitor, who always wants to progress at each training session, who has a burning desire to win and who displays a reflective approach to his game".
'A massive mentality'
"He has a massive mentality. It is the mark of success," insisted former Brest boss Dall'oglio. However, Laborde experienced a dry spell this winter, with a series of seven games without a goal between late November and mid-January. Faced with rigorous, packed defences and a dip in form from the Rennes midfielders after a stellar start to the season, he found himself with far fewer opportunities (30% fewer shots).
In addition, his luck has seemed fickle, as it has for his teammates, as they have regularly struggled to kill off matches despite dominating proceedings. He even missed his penalty as Rennes lost out to Ligue 2 BKT side Nancy in the Coupe de France Round of 32.
"It wasn't easy," he admitted in a press conference last week, while recalling that he had nevertheless helped the team with his runs, his pressing and two assists.
'The goals? They will take care of themselves'
"A striker's career goes in cycles. Sometimes he scores, sometimes he doesn't. I always have to focus on my work and on what I can do well to help the team," he noted. "The goals? They will take care of themselves."
And that's exactly what happened - as Rennes smashed Bordeaux 6-0 in mid-January - and again on Sunday against Troyes (4-1) thanks to a strong team move that earned a penalty Laborde converted - Rennes' first successful penalty in Ligue 1 Uber Eats this season.
Martin Terrier would have taken the spot-kick, but he had just scored, at the conclusion of a beautiful collective action. Captain Hamari Traoré then took the initiative to give the ball to Laborde, who converted with a panenka. Ruthless, Laborde has already scored in a Rennes shirt twice against Bordeaux, the club whose academy he graduated from, and once against Brest, where he went on loan in 2014-15.
Omlin: 'This is not a good thing for us'
Montpellier remains the only one of his former clubs yet to receive the treatment. But Jonas Omlin, the Montpellier goalkeeper, is wary.
"He was already dangerous last season, and now he's playing against us," said the Switzerland 'keeper. "This is not a good thing for us. He can hit with his left foot, his right foot… It will be important to keep a close eye on him."
The Montpellier defence can't say they weren't warned...
