“I will certainly have a little pang in my heart when I arrive at Furiani.” Yannick Cahuzac discusses his return to Bastia with FC Lorient

This Saturday, November 23, Sporting Club de Bastia hosts FC Lorient, a club in which Yannick Cahuzac serves as assistant coach to Olivier Pantaloni. The opportunity for the former emblematic captain of SCB to return to Furiani.

“It’s definitely going to feel a little weird.”. For Yannick Cahuzac, it's a bit obvious: his return to Furiani this Saturday evening with FC Lorient is “obviously a somewhat particular character”.

Assistant to coach Olivier Pantaloni at Merlus, the former captain of Sporting is preparing to return to a stadium in which he played for several seasons, he who wore the blue tunic from 15 to 32 years old.

This Saturday evening, the 39-year-old island technician – currently completing his coaching diplomas – will be against SCB for the first time in his professional career.

Return to Armand-Cesari, work with Olivier Pantaloni, vision of the profession, objectives… Before boarding for Bastia, he answered questions from France 3 Corse.

A few hours before your return to Furiani with FC Lorient, what state of mind are you in?

I'm quite happy to come back because I'm going there reuniting with a lot of people I worked with. There are friends like Gilles Cioni and others. I am very happy to be able to return to Bastia and to this stadium for this match.

Is there a little impatience?

Yes, a little. Already, because with Lorient, we have objectives. Then, because it should be a good match against a good team. Besides, it’s been quite a while since I’ve been back to Furiani; It's also going to feel a little weird to come back with another team. I will certainly have a little pang in my heart when I arrive at the stadium. Afterwards, I am also impatient to see this match because it is always enriching for us to be able to face teams like Sporting.

In the summer of 2023, when you almost signed on as an assistant coach at Nice, it was not well received by some Bastia supporters, given the rivalry between the two clubs. What reception from the public do you expect this Saturday evening?

Honestly, I don't really know. I know that my choice disappointed some people; others, a little less. At that time, I had made my choices about my life and my loved ones. I know that I could have disappointed people and that was obviously not the aim… So I don't really know what the public reception will be but I would be a little surprised if it was bad.

As for the Lorient players who don't know Furiani, have some asked you questions about the atmosphere? ?

I spoke about it mid-week with our Greek player, Panos Katseris. He was just asking me what the atmosphere is like at Armand-Cesari. He wanted to know if it was like in Marseille. I told him that the stadium was much smaller than the Vélodrome but that there could still be a lot of noise. I told him that it was more like atmospheres like that of Panathinaikos or AEK Athens with public pressure and great popular fervor. He can't wait to see that…

In the off-season, Sporting reorganized its management team on a sporting level. As a former member of the Blue House, what is your vision of the club? ?

Seen from the outside, I find that it was a real added value to be able to recover Fred Antonetti, as well as Benoît Tavenot who was able to take the reins of the team. Fred is someone who has enormous high-level experience.

As for Benoît, he was my assistant coach for quite a few years in Bastia. We trained together in the CFA, he then became an assistant to the reserve, then to the professional team. So we know each other very well. Just like the other members of the staff: Mighè Moretti, Dumè Agostini, or even Christophe Colonna who returned to the club. I will therefore be happy to meet a lot of people again that I met during my years in Bastia.

You have been deputy at Lorient since January 2024. What is your daily role ?

On the staff, there are two assistants: Erwann Le Postec and me. We work hand in hand. We divide the work. We are in charge of building the sessions and setting them up. We participate greatly in the game project, as well as in the game project developed by Olivier Pantaloni.

Since last summer, Olivier Pantaloni has joined Lorient – from ACA – to coach the team. How is your relationship going?

He is a very open coach and tactician. It is in exchange and sharing. It's very enriching for me, in my brand new career, to be able to work alongside coaches like him who give and leave so much space in a staff. He is a very humble person who has a lot of experience. So I try to learn a lot alongside him. We discuss tactics, the players, and the game plans to put in place daily.

Are there ever differences of point of view between you?

Of course ! We sometimes have disagreements. Afterwards, we try to open the debate, to analyze the strengths and weaknesses, and above all what each person can contribute in relation to their vision. Afterwards, Olivier always has the last word. It's the coach, he's the one who decides.

At the same time, you continue to obtain training qualifications. Where are you?

Currently, I am preparing for my DES (higher state diploma). This is the penultimate step before the DEPF (Professional Football Coaching Diploma). If I validate the DES next June, I will have the right to coach up to National 2. The last diploma, the DEPF (Professional Football Coaching Diploma), allows me to coach up to Ligue 1. L The important thing is to first have the DES in a little over six months.

The tactics, the locker room, the pitch, that's what I liked, what spoke to me the most.

So you learn a profession in which you have to give a lot, all the time, think collectively, perhaps even more than when you are a player. It seems that it fits quite well with your temperament and your character…

I don't know if I'm the best person to talk about it… Maybe we should ask our players… In any case, I'm having a lot of fun and I'm fulfilled. When I decided to end my career, I asked myself questions and, very quickly, I moved into this field. The tactics, the locker room, the pitch, that's what I liked, what spoke to me the most. So I’m really fulfilled in what I do. I hope it reflects on the people I work with on a daily basis.

Despite everything, doesn't this new career allow you to continue playing “by proxy”? ?

(Smile). Yes, in fact, it happens to me quite often… When there is a last minute player who cannot train or when there is an injured person during training, I put on the bib and I fill the player's departure. So it happens to me a few times and it's always quite pleasant.

Today, among coaches, there seem to be those who maintain a long-term game project and those who continually adapt to all parameters while still trying to maintain their principles. What is your design ?

I think that That starts from the construction of the group. It’s linked to the squad we have, the strengths and weaknesses of the team. Based on the profile of the players we have, we are trying to put a game project in place. Afterwards, I think it is still important to keep a certain guideline. In my eyes, the most difficult thing as a coach is to succeed in getting a whole group to join in because everyone has their own vision of football.

Before this trip to Furiani, Lorient is second in Ligue 2. How do you see the rest of the championship ?

I hope it goes well. We know that Ligue 2 remains a very difficult championship. We perform quite well at home and much less on the road. We therefore have real work to do on away matches. We're going to try to bring back a few more points outside of our bases because that's really where the problem lies. We have a fairly large workforce; we must therefore also try to keep as many players as possible involved. Our objective was stated at the start of the season: it is the climb. We will do everything to get there

Could bringing back a result from Furiani constitute a benchmark match in your season for the Lorient group?

Yes, definitely. We know that Bastia is one of the best defenses in this championship. It's a very solid team. Bringing back at least one point from Furiani, or even all three, would be more than beneficial for the team's confidence for the rest of the season.