Stéphane, Friday evening, during the third goal scored by your team, we were able to see scenes of joy that we imagine matched your deliverance…
Oh yes, completely! That’s the word, a deliverance.
How do you explain this start of the season and this delay in lighting?
It is certain that at the accounting level, there is a delay in ignition. That is undeniable. But why did we have such deliverance? It’s because there have been many, many frustrations since the start of the season. Until last Friday, the team was not rewarded in accounting for its good performances. During the first match against Créteil in Chambly (0-0), we put in a very good performance, we had several chances to win and we finally came out frustrated. The Thionville match (1-1), ditto: we come away frustrated. Then, we have the match that we are not playing against Balagne (match postponed, editor’s note). We’re going to Beauvais, it’s a derby, it’s a different match, but it’s the one where we come out the least frustrated (0-0). Beauvais had the first half, we had the second. Facing Fleury (1-3), we find ourselves at ten, with a csc, a penalty, … in short, incredible twists of fate. Finally Feignies… When we scored 2-1 in the 89th minute, there were the same scenes of joy as on Friday. And five minutes later, the cold shower, the disappointment, the emotional lift (2-2)… In fact, it was the Coupe de France match (4th round) won (1-0) against Cambrai (Regional 1). ), our first victory of the season, which took a psychological weight off the team.
Against FC 93, your team provided an excellent first half, rewarded by the opening score. But despite the play and the chances, it was the visitors who led the scoreboard at the break… What message did you send to your team so that they continue to believe in it?
With the staff, we said to ourselves that if we continued with what we had been offering since the start of the season, it would work! Against FC 93, they attacked us twice, they scored twice. Bravo, very good, they were very effective, they scored us two good goals, … But we still created a lot of chances, we tell ourselves that it will end up happening! And at the same time, I had my players who were extremely disappointed, still frustrated. So the message was: “Keep going, keep going, you had a good first half. » We also sorted out some small details on the ground.
You finally turned the match around in the last ten minutes to win. But if things had ended badly on Friday evening, had you already prepared yourself for a speech to motivate your players again?
Even if we don’t consider them, we always have scenarios in mind. We still prepare certain visions and if it had gone badly, we had an idea of what we would have said. But a staff must succeed in being adaptable and reading what is happening, not letting themselves be overwhelmed by results and emotions. We must be able to say to our players: “Okay, we won, but it wasn’t a good match on our part”, “that’s not what we want” or “that’s not what we want”. not what we should have done. » Conversely, I happened to congratulate the players even though we hadn’t won. So I think that the Bobigny match, with the content,… I insisted on the fact that they were on the right path! Without the victory, would it have been audible, hearable? I don’t know, because when you have a series of championship matches and you don’t win them, the speech becomes more difficult to make your players understand.
“In Chambly, there is a real culture”
The Walter Luzi stadiumCredit Photo – Icon Sport
With this start of the season, has the initial objective been revised downwards?
No, it has not been revised downwards at all since it is a new team. More than half of the workforce was renewed this summer. Which was rejuvenated, too, since we brought in boys from the academy. In this championship, we want to maintain. The sooner we acquire the posture, the sooner we will be able to see if we have something to play. But the first level is maintenance. For the moment, that doesn’t change. But I won’t hide the fact that we had to start winning quickly!
On Friday, 1,289 spectators were present at the Walter-Luzi stadium to encourage the team. Which once again symbolizes real popular support for Chambly. When we find ourselves in this situation, is it something that helps or can inhibit certain players?
It’s a real asset. It’s true that the stadium motivates our opponents. They are very happy to play at Walter-Luzi, they take photos and want to play good football. On the other hand, in this situation where we found ourselves not winning, we could have fallen into a sort of psychological weight which would make us a little afraid of playing at home. The mentality of the club and the supporters meant that this was not the case. The fans are really behind the team. And we feel that strongly. The proof: if we are not pushed by the stadium last Friday, will we seek this victory? The question did not arise: when we equalized at 2-2, with the atmosphere in the stadium, we felt that it was going to do it. In any case, I have played stadiums with quite a few people and I can assure you that with these results, the atmosphere could have been different. In Chambly, they are really behind the team, there is a real culture! Personally, I feel very good at the club.
Sunday (3 p.m.), it’s Coupe de France against Chantilly (National 2). When we know your history* and that of Chambly with the competition**, is it something that we put aside a little because of the current situation in the championship or, on the contrary, is it precisely a match that will allow you and your team to extend the dynamic?
The answer is simple and was given 15 days ago: it was thanks to the Coupe de France that we won the match against FC 93. Then, whether from the club or personally, it is really a competition that we love too much. We love him so much and this match is really very important for us. Afterwards, we realize that on the other hand, it is a team in good shape, which has just come up and which is on a good dynamic, it is sure of itself, it is at home, … I am completely familiar with these contexts and Cup match environments, it’s going to be difficult, it’s going to be a big challenge but on the other hand, we’re going to give everything!
* In 2018, Stéphane Masala, then coach of Herbiers (National), reached the final of the Coupe de France against Paris Saint-Germain (0-2)
** The same year, Chambly reached the last four, eliminated by… Les Herbiers
National 2 C: the ranking
To summarize
FC Chambly finally wins! On Friday October 4, on the occasion of the 7th day of Group C of National 2, the Oise club won the first match of its season in the championship, overthrowing FC 93, which had been undefeated since the start. kicking off the exercise, in its Walter-Luzi stadium (3-2). A “delivery” for the band led by Stéphane Masala. For Foot National, the Camblysian coach looks back on this delay in starting for his team, the founding victory against Bobigny, the Coupe de France and the popular support the club generates.
