Zapping Foot National Laure Boulleau: “I imagine a sequence where Mbappé talks about a Les Bleues match…”
Karim, first question, how do you feel about this new season?
I feel it is exciting and difficult, particularly with this reform of the championships since a championship with fourteen teams in National 2 is unprecedented. There will be five descents or even six for a single climb. This is going to be a close and exciting championship. You will have to be calm, patient and continue through the series.
At the start of the season, have you ever felt a certain tension?
It’s the start of the season so things are going well for now. Last year, with a group of sixteen, we felt that there was tension throughout the matches. The tension is felt especially during the return phase. On the outward leg, it’s more about discovery. Especially this year since half of the group has changed. I think that, on the return phase, it will be more tense. Even the 4th or 5th will play sustain.
You have just won at Beaussetanne (1-5), you will travel to Vence on October 15 as part of the 5th round of the Coupe de France, are you satisfied with this draw? And how do you feel about Hyères’ progress in this competition?
From my little experience, a print is never good or bad. I like the Coupe de France because it is the competition for amateur teams. I respect all the teams and I really like the atmosphere in these matches. We played against a D2 last weekend and I really liked everything that surrounded the match. We respect all opponents. Last year, we experienced a 32nd final against OM. It makes us want to relive this experience. If we have to come out of this competition, let it be against a Ligue 1 club (smile)!
The N2 is not a long, quiet river but you are undefeated leader in this Pool A after five days, we imagine that you feel a certain pride?
The work harvested is the work over the two years. We started badly last season before finishing well. There, we are a bit of a continuation of what we did at the end of the season. Yes, it’s a satisfaction over the first five matches. But we have already seen clubs which started very strongly and which collapsed. Today, first place means nothing to us after the fifth day. We take match by match. We ignore the ranking. If we don’t want to look at the rankings, we have to win our matches. That’s all.
“When you are in a club like Hyères, you have to play the leading roles”
How high do you think the squad you have under your belt can go?
I think that if we can get to the 32nd finals, being a National 2 club, that’s very good. It would be good for the N2 clubs to be in this Coupe de France at least until January. This will allow us to keep the rhythm of the competition with the modification of the calendar. Afterwards, it is sure that it can leave feathers for the championship. If we can go further than these 32nd finals, it would certainly be extraordinary. But it’s not necessarily my priority.
What are the objectives set by your management at the end of the season?
When you are in a club like Hyères, you have to play the leading roles. You have to be as high as possible even if you don’t like to say it out loud. We play a championship to win it. Afterwards, in this championship, we must first take the points to maintain ourselves and then, if we are still in the race for the promotion in March, we will play hard. If we finish second or third, it will still be a very good championship, but we will be disappointed. Our whole group has high ambitions but we have to keep a cool head to have a great season. Coaches often speak in tongues… Me, with the team I have and the recruitment I have had, I want to say that I want to play the climb.
Discovering Karim Masmoudi
Credit Photo – Pyramids FC
This is now your second season at Hyères, what has struck you the most since your arrival?
What I liked was that I arrived with a project and they gave me two years. Mourad Boudjellal and Nicolas Garrigues gave me carte blanche in my work and that is important for any coach. They trust me completely and I think I would give back to them on the pitch and the results. The president – coach relationship is essential in a project.
So you have a special relationship with your management?
Mourad Boudjellal came to pick me up while I was training at the Sporting Club de Toulon. He had around fifty CVs of renowned coaches but he chose Karim Masmoudi. And I want to give that back to him. He gave me this chance to prove myself worthy. So I’m going to give it back to him. And you now have Nicolas Garrigues who has taken over. In continuity, he showed me all the confidence he had in me. I also have a very good relationship with him and I hope that takes us far.
After having been an assistant in Algeria, Egypt and Morocco with African giants, you decided to join the Mauritanian selection as an assistant, what did that bring you?
Through all these experiences, I have worked with renowned coaches. They allowed me to increase my skills at the practical level. I have worked with coaches of many nationalities. The range of skills of the coaches that I was able to support allowed me to develop myself as a coach. I was fortunate to start early as an assistant. I gained years working abroad and being around great coaches. I drew on their qualities to implement my method.
So what is this Masmoudi method?
We are a playful team! Afterwards, in National 2, you have to be balanced between the game and the team block. A compact team unit, very good defensively, but you also have to play and have fun. It’s football eh!
To sum up
The season of confirmation for Hyères FC? After giving the keys to the truck to Karim Masmoudi, Mourad Boudjellal then Nicolas Garrigues could only see the progress made by their training. Interview with the young 36-year-old coach.
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