Clermont (0-1), Grenoble (0-1), and more recently Ajaccio (1-2)… The beginnings of Bruno Baltazar at the head of SM Caen are far from having removed the clouds hovering above Malherbe, falling back to 17th place from Ligue 2 synonymous with direct relegation.
With three defeats in as many matches, the Portuguese coach has fully understood the challenge awaiting him in Normandy. He also made the worst departure of an SMC coach in the 21st century, as highlighted by our colleagues from Sport in Caen.
Also read >> Ligue 2 – Fabrice Vandeputte (AC Ajaccio) gives his opinion on SM Caen’s performance during J19: “It lacked soul”
Zero points out of nine possible. Of the 14 coaches who have succeeded each other at the head of the professional group of the Caen team since the beginning of the 2000s, the 47-year-old tactician is the only one not to have garnered the slightest unit after 270 minutes of football.
However, some former Normandy coaches have also faced serious difficulties on the SMC bench. With an average of 0.60 points in 10 games, Rui Almeida had not lasted long in Calvados but had still managed to glean four points during its first three meetings.
Appointed in place of Pascal Dupraz to complete the 2020-2021 financial year, Fabrice Vandeputte (an average of 0.75 points collected in 7 days) had not shone either, but the point scraped against Pau (1-1) during his first match managed allows him to avoid equaling the unfortunate record by Bruno Baltazar.
-Fabien Mercadalwith an average of 0.98 points gleaned from June 8, 2018 to May 25, 2019, also had a more successful debut than the current Normandy coach. Although he was ultimately unable to ensure his club remained in Ligue 1, the two draws which followed the inaugural setback against PSG (0-3) allowed him to keep his head above water before achieve a first success in Dijon (2-0).
Conversely, more recently, Stéphane Moulin (2 consecutive victories), Jean-Marc Furlan (4 consecutive victories) and Nicolas Seube (4 consecutive victories) distinguished themselves for their debut as head coach of Malherbe.
Arriving at the end of December from Radomiak, Bruno Baltazar inherited a group bruised by its results and the threat of a surprise relegation which is gaining strength as the days go by. It now remains to be seen how much time his management will give him to get things back on track, while the reception at Guingamp (January 24) and a trip to Troyes (February 1) are on the agenda for the coming weeks.
Photo Loic Baratoux /FEP/Icon Sport
