Chateauroux
Nancy
Nancy can once again say thank you to Pablo Correa. A year after his return to the bedside of an ASNL then in great suffering (17e), the stats of the emblematic Franco-Uruguayan technician are shattering: 33 matches, 20 victories, 6 draws and 7 defeats. “Mr. 60%” awakened his favorite club, which he took to the top of Ligue 1 and the European Cup in the mid-2000s. On the cusp of this 13e day of the 2024-2025 National and her arrival at the Gaston-Petit stadium, this Friday, November 22, Nancy is leader. At its head, and at 57 years old, Pablo Correa still has all his teeth. The proof with the interview which follows.
Pablo Correa, what is your magic recipe to have revived Nancy to this point?
“I don’t have one. It's a combination of things that brings us to where we are today. »
So, how did you go about maintaining the excellent momentum that already carried you last season after your return to the bench?
“By anticipating. Very early on, last January or February, the club, the staff and the technical management understood that the squad would have to be renewed during the off-season. Many players from last season's squad were coming to the end of their contracts, so we took the lead in making early contacts with players. We saved time by doing this and we are reaping the benefits today. »
We can deduce from this that you are satisfied with the recruitment…
” Yes. But we took risks, like changing the four players in our defense line. It's not nothing but it was a measured risk because we sought to target the profiles that would best fit our system. We did not try to recruit the best player from each team, but rather the one who suited us best. »
Is that the only reason?
“No, that would be too simple. This summer, we didn't do any outdoor training or long periods of time outdoors. From July 8, the date of the resumption, we stayed in our training center, with certain days going from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. This created a collective osmosis. We did as much football as we did relationships. I have enough experience to know this: any successful team is the result of good etiquette in the locker room. »
And here you are, leader of the championship after 12 days, with a champion's pace…
“It’s true and I hope it lasts! We are ahead of our schedule, I didn't think we would have so many points at this stage of the season. The plan was rather to be in the right pack at the top of the ranking to be in a position to make the right rush during the final sprint. But so much the better, we are not going to deny the points taken! »
The plan is also to move up to Ligue 2, right?
“Already, economically, it is a necessity, almost an imperative. But I don't need this parameter to say it: yes, I want to bring Nancy back to Ligue 2. I even want to bring him back to Ligue 1, to be honest (laughs). I am of a certain age now, but I have remained the same ambitious as before. Training a team to play for survival, in National, in Ligue 2 or elsewhere, no thank you, that doesn't interest me. »
To do this, you will have to extricate yourself from the National. How do you view this championship?
“The same as everyone else: he is atypical, surprising and indecisive. In Ligue 1 or Ligue 2, depending on your team's resources, you know where you are going to position yourself before the season even starts. In National, it's impossible. It's a cliché but it's very true, everyone can beat or lose to everyone. »
You have just experienced it by losing at home against the modest Paris 13 Atletico (1-2)…
“Exactly. This is why I attach relative importance to this result. He is what he needed to be against a very realistic team that night. This confirms what I think about this championship: when the referee whistles the start of a match, I have the impression that everything is shattered, everything you prepared before hardly counts anymore. Anything can happen from one match to the next. »
Is this destabilizing for you?
“I got used to it and I integrated it. I didn't know the National before returning to Nancy, I didn't watch this championship. With my experience at the highest level, I undoubtedly took it seriously. He brought me back to humility (laughs). »
The schedule means that you continue against another team in difficulty, Châteauroux. Does this make you even more suspicious?
“Distrustful, I am on principle now. Because I know that in every team, whatever its ranking, there are one or two high quality players who can make the difference. Take, for example, Antoine Mille at Châteauroux, last season, it only took me thirty minutes to understand what an excellent player he was, with the potential to play higher up. We would have recruited him, but he had an opportunity in Ligue 2 (Pau) and he took it. He was right and there are others in the same situation. Amine Hemia, who played for Martigues and who signed for Guingamp, the same. I could name many others. »
Your contract in Nancy expires in June 2026. Are you planning beyond that?
“Everyone knows the very strong bond that binds me to this club. But I will not change my way of seeing things: if I coach, in Nancy or elsewhere, it is to play leading roles, not to vegetate. We will see that later and I remain focused on this pivotal season for the club. »
This Friday, November 22, at 7:30 p.m., Gaston-Petit stadium.
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