Your name circulated on the side of Dijon which finally chose Patrice Garande instead of David Linarès. You confirm ?
Yes. Dijon president Olivier Delcourt called me. I had an appointment with him, with the general manager of the club and with the recruiting manager. The interview lasted more than three hours, it went very well. I even planned on things to do to get the DFCO out of this bad start to the season. I have already succeeded in this kind of situation, in Nancy and Auxerre. But President Delcourt phoned me earlier this week to tell me that he had opted for Patrice Garande. This obviously disappointed me a little, but I enjoyed the discussions with the Dijon leaders.
This shows that the clubs still think of you, when there is a change of coach …
It’s true. As I said before, I miss the job very much. I really want to train again. Ligue 2 is one of the championships that interests me, it’s a competition that I know well and that I continue to follow closely. I don’t wish any harm to the current coaches, not at all, but we all know how it works in football. I myself have been dismissed from my post during the season in the past.
This Saturday at the Marcel-Picot stadium, your two former clubs will meet. Will you be attending the match?
It is expected, indeed. I still live in Nancy but it’s been a long time since I came to Picot, especially because there was this whole period of closed doors because of the health crisis. It will be a pleasure to meet Marcel-Picot on Saturday, it will also be an opportunity to see a lot of people that I like on both sides.
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“We must let the new coach work”
What does the ASNL’s position as the red lantern inspire you after five days of L2?
There have been so many changes at once at ASNL… Everyone can understand that the club needs time. The notion of time in football is not the same as in real life, there is always a demand for results quickly, but this difficult period is certainly part of the learning in the new project. I read the interview with President Gauthier Ganaye in the newspaper the other day, he is right to say that the results will be done later. You have to let the new coach work, you have to give him time to put his ideas in place.
How do you see the future for Nancy?
The top priority for ASNL must be to win their first match. The current danger is not public discontent, I think the supporters are aware that the team is in a period of adaptation. The most dangerous, in my opinion, is the loss of confidence among the players. It’s always like that when defeats follow one another. You have to be very careful about that. The more matches they go through without winning, the more players have to win.
How do you see AJ Auxerre as well?
The AJA is well ahead in its project, it is engaged in a cycle which has started for a while now. There is continuity at Auxerre with a regular improvement in the workforce.
What’s your prediction for Saturday’s game?
It’s hard to say. Despite the classification, AS Nancy Lorraine is able to go for its first victory against Auxerre. AJA is a high-quality opponent but, in this very homogeneous L2 championship, each match has its truth.
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