The time has come for concern for the SM club Caen in Ligue 2, while the ranking is very bleak for the Normans. Sixteenth in the championship after the 17th day, five points behind the first non-relegation team, Stade Malherbe is in tough sporting conditions and is not showing many signs of progress. Even if it is early, too early in Bruno Baltazar's mandate to immediately make a judgment, time is running out for the Portuguese coach who must quickly get his team back on track, at the risk of seeing the situation slip away from him.
Also read >> Romain Thomas (SM Caen): “I’m not the type to give up”
Speaker on the “Allô Malherbe” show on Ici Normandie radio, the former coach of Caen in Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 Patrice Garande reiterated his concern about the future. Not only from a sporting point of view, but also from the point of view of what makes Malherbe a club apart in the landscape of French football.
Patrice Garande's point of view on the defeat (0-1) against Clermont
“A coach, in 4 days, cannot change much. Even if we saw some beginnings, we didn't quite see what he had announced. I saw a little bit of improvement in the offensive animation personally, but we still weren't effective. We are still in the same situation. I had already said before the truce that we were in an emergency situation. Contrary to what the players thought based on their post-match comments, here we are even more so. »
Also read >> SM Caen – Bruno Baltazar after Clermont (0-1): “We showed qualities but it’s not enough”
Players who don't do enough
“I don't necessarily want to take the players' cases one by one, but a player like Valentin Henry has to do a lot, a lot, a lot (he repeats himself) more! A player like Romain Thomas too, he is captain, leader, he must lead and harangue his teammates. From time to time, get into rhythm and get out with the ball. These are things that are not being done at the moment. We are satisfied with little. »
“The players have the impression of giving their best, I don't think they are cheating and I think they are sincere, but we have to make them understand that they can do more and that for that, we should not no longer save the week. Their maximum is not enough! Is anyone today going to claim that we are playing something other than maintaining? Today, we are in difficulty, we are in tough times. If even at home, we don't impose ourselves at least in the dry cleaning, we will be in difficulty everywhere. »
Also read >> Laurent Batlles (Clermont): “We put Caen five points behind, there is a small margin”
A loss of identity for SM Caen?
“What also explains the supporters' banners is that they have the impression that their club is losing its identity. I was excited to see a French investor, Kylian Mbappé, arrive with all his history at SM Caen, he knows the club and I thought it could only be good. Finally, we have the feeling of seeing the club under the Parisian banner, with an operation that has nothing to do with its values, we are told that we are starting from scratch… The supporters have the impression of no longer recognizing their club . They have this fear of losing a very strong identity in French football! Malherbe is followed and loved by many more people than just football fans in Calvados. It goes way beyond that. This is also their fear, in addition to the bad results. »
Source: Ici Normandie (francebleu.fr).
Photo Christophe Saidi/FEP/Icon Sport
