“Football is a game of chess”

Arriving at Le Mans last June, the ex-coach of Furiani-Agliani looks back on his career and his working methods, in a Sarthoise team more efficient away than at home, when hosting Orléans during the 13th day of the National, Friday (7:30 p.m.).

The 13th day of National (7:30 p.m.) can be followed on Friday on FFF.tv and on Live Scores

THE FRANCE CUP
“Victures breed victories”

“I attach a lot of importance to it because it’s a great competition. We were coming off two defeats (against Nancy and Aubagne in National) and it was necessary to start a positive spiral. The Coupe de France is so beautiful! It allows us to experience emotions that we will remember throughout our career. But for that, you have to go through trap matches, like Saturday (2-1 victory in Vannes, N3 club). For me, the Coupe de France is important, and as I often say, victories breed victories. That was the goal: to qualify to arrive in the best mental condition against Orléans on Friday. I try to involve as many players as possible, since the start of the season everyone has had playing time apart from my third goalkeeper. I'm a coach who says 'we play as we train', so it's the feeling in training that counts. It's important for a player, when he starts the week, that he has the feeling that he can start the next match, regardless of what happened before. »

The press conference, an exercise worked within the framework of the BEPF (photo LE MANS FC).

FRIEND RÉGIS BROUARD
“We’re going to tickle each other on the bench!” »

« Régis Brouard (current coach of FC Rouen)he remains my best friend in football. We played together at AS Cannes (in 2003-2004)when he became coach of Rodez, he brought me with him. We had a trip together on a plane whose door had exploded (see below)then he called me in Nîmes (in 2005-2006). We are two boys with strong characters. When he was coach at Sporting Bastia and I was at Furiani, and we played friendly against each other, we could move up the ranks very quickly. I know we risk tickling each other on the bench in January (during FC Rouen-Le Mans, for the 16th day) but it is always with kindness. »

TWENTY YEARS LATER
“I no longer have flew again for thirteen years »

“The plane crash was twenty years ago on November 5th. It caused a complicated period for me in the months that followed, with total paralysis. After that, I didn't fly again for thirteen years. I stopped my professional career in 2006, then I returned to the amateur world but physically I was no longer the same player, it was no longer the same intensity, it no longer had anything to do with it. I met people who were extremely supportive. My parents live in Portugal, without taking a plane it was a seventeen-hour drive! My wife and children love to travel, we took boat cruises but I had no right to impose that on them. When I arrived in Furiani (in 2018)I had no choice: every two weeks we were going to play on the continent. I have reached a milestone. I'm not going to tell you today that I take the plane calmly, that's not true but I don't have nightmares, it's part of my life, the journeys I've had. I moved on. »

THE BEPF
“An opportunity to grow”

“Training at BEPF (Professional football coaching certificate) allows me to grow, we go into a lot of detail. For example, for press conferences, in National it is every week before and after the match. In the amateur world, we are not used to that. For the Brevet, we are prepared. For me, it was an opportunity to grow, to be able to rub shoulders with professional clubs, in Le Havre, in Rennes, to do internships abroad, to meet Raffaele Palladino, who was the coach of Monza and who is today at Fiorentina. It was a very rewarding but very tiring year, we had sessions in different clubs. I was lucky to be part of a club, AS Furiani, where the managers let me work and gave me a lot of confidence. They came to pick me up when I was in Istres (in 2018) and gave me, quote, the keys to the club. For six years, despite limited resources, by working seriously and calmly, continuously and in the long term, we can do very beautiful things. »

ARRIVAL AT LE MANS
“The feeling went well”

“Le Mans contacted me through my agent Pierre Ducrocq (former PSG player). The managers received me and then, for me, Le Mans became a logical continuation. During our interview with Olivier Thomas (recruitment manager) or President Thierry Gomez, the feeling went well. This is where I wanted to come and work. At a press conference at the very start of the season, a supporter asked me, because there were quite a few coaches who came here without staying long: ''Are you coming here to enter the professional world and leave in a year, or do you want to work for the long term?'' The long term is the way I operate, you need good foundations to put things in place. Afterwards, it depends on the clubs, if you are given the opportunity to do it or not. »

Patrick Videira (right) with his assistant Yohann Feurprier (photo LE MANS FC).

THE METHOD
“I very rarely talk about systems”

“My experience as a player helps me all the time. When players act a certain way, you're always one step ahead, because you've been in the same situation before. But coach and player remain two completely different experiences: when you are a player, you only take care of yourself, whereas having a group to manage means taking care of everyone, a lot of nights without sleeping, finding the best solution for the club. What matters is the collective. What is the best thing for the club to keep moving forward?
Football is a game of chess, when one player moves, what should the other do in the space that is freed up? You have to have very intelligent players in terms of everyone's movements. I very rarely talk about system, it's the animation that is important. I find myself with a right-back as a sentry, the sentry can go to the side and make me a double width, that poses no problem for me. It's my way of seeing football but it requires a lot of thought and demands. This is not easy for players who have never been asked this. »

THE START OF THE SEASON
“Our room for maneuver is minimal”

“The first month was difficult (1 victory, 2 draws and 3 defeats) as we came out of good preparation. But a lot of things have been put in place, a new system, a new coach, a new physical trainer… It takes time, the players have to assimilate the work required. I remain a very demanding coach with a lot of rigor. The analysis of the situation, the intelligence of the player, that's the main thing. But the human side is very important. I try to be very close to them, to share things outside of the sessions.
At the beginning of November, we were coming off five wins in a row away from home, in the league and the Coupe de France, then we lost twice (against Nancy and Aubagne). But in the last eight matches, we have won six, all away. We won them because we had a surplus of motivation, of self-sacrifice. But we know that our room for maneuver is minimal. If tomorrow we lower the slider by 10 or 15%, we will not pass. It's hard! It's energy-intensive. I often tell them when a match is over: ''It's very good, we got out of a trap this weekend, enjoy it tonight, tomorrow we'll get back to work.''. »

Le Mans supporters await a victory at the Marie-Marvingt stadium (photo Philippe LE BRECH / APL / FFF).

THE MATCH AGAINST ORLÉANS
“Give the public a first victory at home”

“Before hosting Orléans, there is no additional pressure to have. We must take this match as a source of motivation, please our public and give them a first victory at home. Afterwards, whether it's Orléans or another, it doesn't matter who the opponent is in front of us. We know very well that we will not win every match but that is the objective we must give ourselves. There are weekends where everything goes very well, others where it is much more complicated. But we have to be at our best every day. My first objective is to beat Orléans. When we had a streak of three wins in a row, we found ourselves sixth. Between now and the break, we receive Orléans, we go to Nîmes and we receive Valenciennes. If we get three good results, we will move up. But honestly, I'm only looking forward to the next match. »