Will Still highlights defensive work after Auxerre's first win

Auxerre secured their first Ligue 1 win of the season on Saturday with a 1-0 victory over Nice at the Stade Abbé-Deschamps. The result lifts AJA to 15th place in the table with three points, just one point above the relegation zone.

Manager Will Still immediately highlighted his team's defensive work. "It might sound romantic to say, but keeping a clean sheet after conceding eleven goals in three matches," Still said. He pointed to the investment in details, like set-pieces, which had been costly in the initial defeats to Lens, Angers and Lyon. The coach noted that the team had conceded four goals from corners across those three losses, a point the staff worked on intensively this week.

The team had still scored in each of those three losses, showing an attacking threat. Cameron Archer, who scored the winning goal in the 74th minute against Nice, confirms this trend with two goals in two appearances this season. The Englishman is the club's top scorer. In his recent form, Archer also scored in the European Cup win over Werder Bremen, taking his total to three goals in three matches across all competitions.

Tuanzebe's contribution

Will Still also praised the first appearance of Axel Tuanzebe. The centre-back, a former Manchester United player and Congolese international, brought serenity. "He did us a lot of good. I think we can see the calm and serenity he will bring us," Still said. Tuanzebe replaced the suspended captain Adrien Hunou and won all three of his duels and made one interception. His contribution was key for a defence that had been conceding an average of 3.7 goals per game before this match.

This win comes after a run of three league defeats and a European Cup victory over Werder Bremen. The upcoming schedule is immediately busy, with the visit of Brest this Sunday at 3pm for the 5th matchday. Brest, currently 7th, will be another test to confirm the defensive progress. The last meeting between the two sides, in March, ended in a comprehensive Auxerre win (3-0). The squad will need to rely on its full roster to build on this performance. Will Still concluded by stressing the need to maintain this collective mentality, underlining that defensive work is the foundation on which the team can build its results.

Background and full detail: Sports - Orange