After eight disputed championship matches, Lionel Bah's men occupy second place in the general classification, tied on points with leader Limonest. This successful start to the season is to the credit of a collective that is already very united despite the many changes that took place during the summer transfer window. And if there is one arrival that speaks to the Duchérois supporters, it is the return of Sofiane Bendaoud, after a season with Villefranche in the National. A few days before the trip to Macon, Sofiane took part in the Pre-Match game by answering a few questions.
Sofiane, how are you? How is your return to La Duch' going?
Sofiane Bendaoud: “It's okay, thank you very much, my return to La Duch' is going really well, we have a really good group with whom I get on well. I already knew a few players, the coach too, that I had already had in the past. So far, wonderful, everything is going well! »
After a full season in National last year with FCVB, your choice to return here in N3 might seem surprising, what were your motivations?
SB : “For people who really know me, it's not that surprising, I had a lot of offers in N2 and a few in N1, but the choice of La Duchère was made for the proximity, for stay in the area, close to my family. I didn't want to turn everything upside down knowing that I'm still young even though I'm closer to the end than the beginning of my career. It also allows me to plan for my post-career by being in a club where I feel good. And even if the club is in N3, I am in very good conditions within an ambitious team. I took everything into account, proximity to family, the financial aspect, the contractual duration, the fact of feeling good. At La Duch, the only negative point was the level, even though I had higher offers. But in the end, I'm really happy to have made this choice, even if I questioned myself to be honest, whether I had made the right choice to go back to this level, but I'm not disappointed.
Apart from last weekend against Chamalières, you started all the matches, how do you find the overall level of this group?
SB : “Last week, I only trained once, the day before the match, so logically, I didn't start the match, but it was already good to be in the group. We have a quality group, where everyone can play, and no one is irreplaceable as the coach often says. That may sometimes be just lip service, but it's real, there are good players, we have to keep this state of mind. For the moment, I find the overall level of the group quite good, it is close to my last season in N2 (2022/2023), I am not going to say the same level, but it is close. It's a very good level, out of the eight teams we played, it was really not bad, so for the moment, I'm rather pleasantly surprised. »
Sofiane Bendaoud during reception of FC Bourgoin Jallieu
If we look more at the field, how would you analyze the start of the season? From a personal but also collective point of view?
SB : “From a personal point of view, I think I'm having a good start to the season, like the collective. I hope to be more and more decisive and efficient, hoping to gain strength during the season. As for the team, we have to do the same thing, I think we are not at our full potential, we can do much better but that bodes well. If everyone continues to work well as we do, it can only be better!
You have a real executive status within the team, does that bring you additional pressure?
SB : “No, I don’t think so, I have experience, I have more than 200 matches in N3, N2, and N1 it seems to me. I have often played the climb, by being in the first three at the break or at the end of the championship, I hope that I will be able to help the group to make the right choices, to continue to work well, and to keep the lead on the shoulders to grab first place. Afterwards no, I have no additional pressure, I try to play my role as a manager to the maximum, helping and passing on everything I know. »
This weekend you are traveling to Macon, a team which was in N2 last year. Despite a rather mixed start to the championship on their part, what type of matches do you expect?
SB : “Yes, I know several players with whom I have already played, there are several players who have played a lot in National 2 or National 1. They did not start very well, but I still think that they have a big team, on current form it's a team at the top of the table. In any case, we cannot take any team lightly, our only defeat is against the last ones. So, from that moment on we are obliged to give 120% or more in every match, we cannot do less. In the Haut Lyonnais match, I don't think we took it lightly, but we showed less desire and aggression, and we saw that it didn't work. We can really lose against everyone, so it proves that we have to give everything in every match. »
