Officially named coach of Rennes on Sunday, Jorge Sampaoli explained why he had decided to take on this challenge this Tuesday at a press conference.
More than two years after his departure from OM (2021-2022), Jorge Sampaoli is back in Ligue 1. The Argentine coach was officially named on the Rennes bench this Monday to replace Julien Stéphan. He was presented to the press on Tuesday, rejoicing at this “new stage” which will require “a lot of work” while the team is languishing in a worrying 13th place in L1, with barely two points ahead of the red zone. But this situation, after two humiliations at Auxerre (4-0) and against Toulouse (0-2), does not scare the technician.
“We have a pretty clear idea of the team”
“I accepted because Stade Rennais is a big club,” he said. “It's about developing the club. It's a constructive project in a country that I know and that I love. It's a project that I liked.” He gave his first mission: “The first objective will be to get to know the team, so that it is better organized, that we develop a collective functioning so that we find an identity while strengthening the gaming culture. He The team also needs to regain confidence.”
The former Argentina coach has already studied his new team well and not only this Sunday at Roazhon Park where he witnessed the loss against Toulouse (0-2). He assures that the poor performance of his new players did not make him want to turn around.
“I’m excited to be here, it’s a great challenge to take on,” he promises.
“We analyzed the team, it's not just the match on Sunday, we saw a lot of matches. We have a pretty clear idea of the team for the next matches. We will have time to develop that I I have football for the future.”
Sampaoli loves Ligue 1
Free since his departure from Flamengo in 2023, Sampaoli said he was happy to return to Ligue 1. “I am an admirer of the French championship,” he added. “After my time at Marseille, I continued to watch, I really like the teams here, the transitions. Ligue 1 is growing gradually. The country that best promotes its young people is France and Brazil.”
The coach is currently refusing to talk about Europe, the initial objective of the season. Above all, he wants to restore “security” to the team before thinking of anything else. “It (Europe) would be my wish but first it will get the team back into shape,” he explains. “We will see our ambitions later, there is a lot of progress to be made on the functioning and competitive capacity of the group.”
Nicolas Couet with Xavier Grimault
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