Before the trip to Chartres, for the 7th round of the Coupe de France, Saturday November 16, 2024 (1:45 p.m.), coach Nicolas Seube presented himself at a press conference.
Nicolas Seube: “We still have the same injured people, compared to last week, Coulibaly, Henry, M'Vila, Ntim, Tavares… Manu Ntim and Hélio Tavares will resume collective training next week. Valentin Henry will not resume before December, Coulibaly will not be there for Rodez either. And we have the internationals who are in the selection (Mandrea with Algeria, Gomis and Milliner with the France U19 team), so we have a reduced group. Robin (Verhaeghe), Gabin (Tomé) and Momo (Hafid) will be in the group.
In Momo Hafid, we sense an ability to make shifts, but he is not yet up to our expectations. His return to Red Star was not convincing. But I believe in him, it’s up to him to seize the opportunity. If he has the possibility of returning or starting, he must score points. His game must become less choppy, more secure and reliable. He must persevere in what he does but make it fairer. We can't provoke all the time, there are times when we have to make others play. Should he go on loan? Everything will depend on the winter transfer window, if people arrive. We will take stock in December to find out the strong and weak points of this team, to see if we can improve it immediately or not. Difficult to say because the winter transfer windows are very closed and it is not easy to rebalance the workforce at this time of year. »
“I feel like a team that feels good about itself”
“You have to be able to enforce the hierarchy, that’s the difficulty of the Cup. Facing an opponent who wants to bring down professional clubs. Whether you are first or poorly ranked, the consequence is the same so you have to win. Of course we have to honor this competition and qualify. I feel a team that is progressing, a group that is increasingly invested, an impeccable state of mind, it is becoming more and more interesting. I feel like a team in good shape. The proof in the last match. Even if we don't yet have the points we hoped for.
What is frustrating with last Saturday's match, in Metz (1-0 defeat), is that we switched to positive vibes on the content but we are still lacking points. We must continue to advance, in what we produce, in the team's ability to defend well. We are on the right path, now we need to confirm.
The turnover, which can be done in these Cup matches, is because players have played a lot and need to cut back a little. We will make a choice on the starting team but from the moment they enter the field, starters or substitutes, it is up to them to show me that they make me ask questions about the next eleven that I will line up . So far, in the entire group, almost everyone has had the opportunity to express themselves and exist. »
On the return of Jean-Marc Branger
“His return is part of something which I hope will last and bring added value to the structure. I also sense through his appointment, the desire of the leaders to stabilize things in order to be more efficient tomorrow. Internally, I have a lot of doubts that have been lifted and I find things more coherent.
I always wanted to work with two physical trainers, as soon as I took over the team in December 2023. A lot of things have evolved in this football. We need to be more and more precise and for that we need human resources. There is all the preparatory work, prevention, in the gym, monitoring the quantification of the load, the re-athleticization part… It is energy-intensive work so there must be at least two of us. »
READ ALSO. SM Caen. Jean-Marc Branger returns as physical trainer, Benoît Pickeu leaves
On Gérard Prêcheur
“I find his mission, his position coherent. I find that a technical director can contribute over time. He has done a lot of work on training, how he wants us to develop the boys, to educate them. And among the pros, it helps with decision-making. We communicate every day but I have decision-making power in this sector. I find this collaboration intelligent and in the desire to move the club forward. »
