It took a miracle for the Girondins de Bordeaux to avoid relegation to Ligue 2 but it didn’t happen. The Marine et Blanc won in Brest (2-4) this Saturday, but that doesn’t change anything. Bordeaux even ends championship red lantern at the end of this 2021-2022 financial year with a very meager total of 31 points. The club with the scapular will therefore go down a level, the year of its 140 years and know the second division which it had left 30 years ago. At that time, it was an administrative relegation. This time, the Girondins de Bordeaux descend on the sporting level. But to sum up this season solely on a sporting level would be very simplistic.
The failures of Petkovic then Guion
Two coaches have tried to straighten out the group, the majority of the players of which were present last year. First of all Vladimir Petkovic flushed out by President Gérard Lopez. The Bosnian is torn from the Swiss selection and will only stay six months in Gironde, laid off after the slap received in Reims (0-5). The Girondins boss had hired a coach with extraordinary psychological qualities and who “hate defeat“. He will, however, have to wipe 12 losses in 25 games when the beginnings seemed promising. In private, Gérard Lopez confided that Petkovic never knew how to question his way of approaching the group.
Comes next David Guion. The former Reims coach assures that he wants “make this team progress very quickly” of the 14 games he has. Aside from the weak electric shock observed in the first matches, Bordeaux quickly displayed its original shortcomings: weak defense, a physical deficit, no revolt and a worn-out mind. The Coué method, which his predecessor has already abused, does not work and despite the various levers used, the Girondins are slowly sinking in the standings. It must be recognized that he inherited a workforce that is no longer concerned and that he had no control over recruitment. Nevertheless, his tactical choices will have intrigued more than one observer in recent days. He had announced that he wanted to save this “prestigious club“, he will eventually find that “the Girondins did not deserve to stay in Ligue 1“.
Covid, racism, sidelining, beatings
There have been many twists and turns in the Girondins de Bordeaux season, but none were in favor of the club who even shot himself several times in the foot. However, the first victory could have heralded the renewal of Bordeaux. Remember that it was acquired thanks to an opposing strike stopped on the line by a puddle (in Saint-Étienne). Finally, it was necessary to look towards the deluge that evening to glimpse the Girondin future.
Where to start ? Maybe by the covid episode in December who interferes in the locker room after a series of questionable behavior on the part of the players, as reported by Sud-Ouest. The cases are multiplying and forming a cluster in the Bordeaux workforce. The Marine et Blanc face and lose against Lille, Brest and Marseille with a decimated workforce and not yet physically restored. The historic invincibility at home against OM falls after 44 years of unchallenged reign in Gironde.
A few weeks later, management decided to dismiss captain Laurent Koscielny and then Brazilian midfielder Otavio. The first crack appears within a group that did not need it. The second comes two months later with accusations of racism from the Ultras against Benoît Costil, the vice-captain. The management does not defend its player, the fracture is now very real and spreads to the stands. The Girondins de Bordeaux sink into general indifference and collect roustes (Nice, Reims, Rennes, Strasbourg, Lyon, Angers). “I don’t know if the term ‘doormat’ is appropriate, but yes, we stick to this label when clubs that don’t have a very long history come to Bordeaux with the ambition of taking the three points.“, acknowledged Gérard Lopez on France Bleu Gironde, last March.
A direction that runs into the wall
It must be remembered that a year ago, on June 22, the Bordeaux Ultras paraded through the streets of Bordeaux celebrating the takeover and rescue of the club by Gérard Lopez. They supported the Spanish-Luxembourgish businessman to the end but are now calling for a deputy president. “If we don’t run away at the end of the year, it’s because we’ve really tried everything“, he announced on France Bleu Gironde, in March. It is true that the strong choices were numerous but it must also be recognized that the timing has often been calamitous : the late eviction of Vladimir Petkovic, that more sudden of Koscielny and Otavio, the two transfer windows closed late even if in the case of the first, Gérard Lopez had just landed in Gironde.
Gérard Lopez had planned a quick return to the European Cup with the objective this year of appearing in the Top 10. However, he assured that he would be there in Ligue 2 and that he would assume his responsibilities despite the construction site. a major overhaul of the structure of the club.