With only two victories and already nine points behind the direct accession places in Ligue 1, Stade Malherbe Caen already has a considerable handicap compared to the teams who are trying to climb into the elite at the start of the 2nd international break in Ligue 2. The delays linked to the transfer of power between the Mbappé family represented by Ziad Hammoud in Calvados and Oaktree probably disrupted a team which was on good track at the end of last season but which experienced problematic series, such as the aborted sale of ‘Alexandre Mendy, who wanted to go to England. Robert Malmcommentator for the beIN Sports channel, was the guest of the Allo Malherbe show on France Bleu Normandie this Monday and was asked about the complicated beginnings of the Caen team after 8 days.
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“The team is in tough times, indeed. I didn’t think it was going to be as complicated as that anyway, because when we are Stade Malherbe, we are automatically one of the favorites from season to season in Ligue 2. Because the club has a history in Ligue 1, a spent in the European Cup, a lot of things around Caen which make the club one of the strongholds of French football. For the moment, 6th place is Caen’s best result since the descent… Without even taking into account Kylian Mbappé’s new shareholding, Caen is nevertheless one of the favorites for the championship. »
“At the management level, it’s slowly taking shape. President Ziad Hammoud is busy and is avoiding these questions a little, I think he wants to gradually put things in place on his side. I will not reveal all my discussions, in particular those with Pierre-Antoine Capton, but he himself is the first to be saddened by the club’s situation. He didn’t think it would be this hard either. »
Players who don’t give themselves the means to achieve their ambitions?
“I also rewatch the Stade Malherbe match against Pau, 11 against 9 but without ever feeling a wind of revolt that would allow us to surpass ourselves. Against Guingamp, honestly, when they come back to 1 everywhere, I tell myself that the match cannot escape them because they are in a strong moment: ultimately they do not capitalize on it, fall back into their faults… The team was cut off in two, took waves and lost the match. Even if against Lorient the opponent controlled the match, you do not capitalize on these moments of madness. Too bad if it’s messy, but we have to feel that the team wants to push, to take the whole stadium with it to change the situation. I didn’t have the impression that this was the case, in fact it was quite the opposite. Lorient did not panic and was able to establish its game, little by little. »
Source : francebleu.fr
Photo Hugo Pfeiffer/Icon Sport
