Reims’ Will Still on 19-game unbeaten run: “It’s pretty crazy.”

The Will Still hype train shows no sign of stopping yet. The young 30-year-old Reims coach has overseen a 17th consecutive unbeaten game for the Champagne side this Sunday (19 for the team overall) as they won away at fourth-placed Monaco. Arsenal loanee Folarin Balogun scored his 16th goal of the season. No team in the European top 5 leagues is on a longer unbeaten run than Reims. “This is the equivalent to a half season that we managed to stay unbeaten. Seen this way, it’s pretty crazy“, assessed Still to L’Équipe.

For the avoidance of doubt:

-> Reims’ unbeaten run in Ligue 1 is 19 games (9 wins, 10 draws)

-> Will Still has (officially) been manager for 17 of those

-> The team were knocked out of the Coupe de France last month – the unbeaten run only covers league play now

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Despite his Reims side being firmly on the way up and sitting eighth on the standings, the Anglo-Belgian Ligue 1 sensation has downplayed his team’s chances of competing for the European qualiyfing spots. “We are realistic and clear-headed when watching the teams above us. There is tremendous quality.” However, Still has highlighted that his side are also competitive and ambitious as well as currently improving, as shown by the win clinched in Monaco.

With the fight for relegation now a distant memory thanks to their 43-point tally, can Reims cause an upset in the standings ? Fifth-placed Rennes side are only four points away. “Our first opponent is ourselves. For now, only we are in any capacity to cause ourselves problems“, claimed a defiant Will Still. Reims will host second-placed Marseille, the team with the best away record in the league, on Sunday evening for a mouth-watering clash for Ligue 1 gameweek 28.

GFFN | Bastien Cheval