After a hectic summer at the US Changeda National 3 club, the sixth level of French football, with the arrival of a new coach in June and his dismissal in mid-August, a new coach was presented to the club on Tuesday. Kévin Garnier, 34, arrived from Ain, where he coached for 22 years at AS Misérieux-Trévoux, has therefore signed a permanent contract and will be in charge of the first team. He does not come for “revolutionize everything” but to print his paw. Interview.
How was contact made between the club and you?
I had had some contacts in previous years with clubs in the sector. There, it was the first contact I had on a club outside the region. The idea was to tell myself that as long as the club I was in progressed, I continued to move forward. In terms of infrastructure, we were at the maximum of what we could do. So four years with team one, I thought it was the right time to leave. I didn’t want to do the year too many. If I left, it was on a new project and I didn’t necessarily feel able to redo three or four years because it still required a lot of investment. I was there from morning to evening so I needed to see something else and not “bury myself” in that club. Changé’s proposal came, I was not necessarily against leaving the region, on the contrary, it allowed me to meet new people. And that’s why I came here.
What sporting project was presented to you?
It’s a project with two big dominants on the N3 team: to be as efficient as possible, to keep the team in N3 at the end of the season and a project more on the general structuring of the club. The idea is to get to already soak up the values of the club and the way of functioning. And me, compared to what I was able to do in my club, to see what can be improved over the next few months.
You who have known only one club in 22 years, will it change you a lot?
Yes after on my first impressions, I find a healthy and structured club but it must be said that I discover the level and the people, so yes, it makes a big change. Afterwards, the reception was frankly wonderful from everyone here. Now, it’s up to me to integrate well as well so that things go well as quickly as possible.
How do you adapt to a club less than a week before the championship?
The idea is not to revolutionize everything. I think the Changé club has been in N3 for quite a few years, there are good things that have been done. The priority is to rely on what was good and above all on people who know the club perfectly. I have people who know the inner workings and environment of the club perfectly. The goal is to get players to join as quickly as possible. And to make them adhere, I think that there are not only 36 solutions, there is already the relationship that I will establish with them and the quality of the sessions that will be offered.
What game identity do you want to implement?
On the pitch, everything that happens up to the halfway line is very interesting. I also like to try to start cleanly when we have the ball. Afterwards, there is also a parameter to take into account, it is that of efficiency. It’s good to use the ball, it’s good to try to be clean in the game but there is still a certain efficiency to have in front of our goal and in front of the opposing goal. So that is a strong principle that we are going to work on during the sessions. And the second principle, linked especially to the offensive animation, it will be to seek a maximum of imbalance each time we are in possession of the ball.
– Alexandre Fremont
In very few sessions, what are the qualities and faults of your group?
I’ve only done two sessions so far so it’s hard to see things. Afterwards, I find that there is a very homogeneous level on the team and the two big qualities that stand out are the technical and tactical aspects, on the ability to apply what is asked, so I don’t get not too much to worry about that. Afterwards, what I don’t control is the potential of the team compared to the general level of the pool.
So is it a real challenge for you?
Yes exactly. Afterwards, even if there may have been problems in the past, it doesn’t matter, I was pleasantly surprised by the dynamics of the group. Frankly, it’s a real challenge in a year where there will be a lot of descents. There is work to be done, but before thinking about others, we are already going to take care of ourselves and optimize everything we have, namely to manage the players well because beyond recruitment, who will play, etc… I think the biggest strength we can have is to have as many players as possible every weekend, to limit injuries and to be good at physical and human management .
Did you know Mayenne before arriving?
No way. I never left my region too much, I didn’t know Mayenne afterwards, from what I see, in terms of population, values, with the department of Ain, these are two departments that are very similar. Even at the football level, I believe that we are in a district with 18,000 licensees in Mayenne. I knew Stade Lavallois, of course, since I had players I coached who played at Stade Lavallois.
Do you also want to take a step forward in your personal life?
When I left the club, the idea was to try to look higher. Afterwards, there are still a lot of requests and few positions available. So me, the idea was also to build something on the side that would allow me to work if ever I didn’t have football. And I find that the Changé stage is perfect in terms of the size of the club, the level, it’s higher, without being too much compared to the profile I have.
Finally, do you like the band you discovered?
Already to have a receptive group and able to implement what we ask is already a big value. And the other thing that is important is that we have a group of players who are in very good shape, who have done a lot of preparation and in terms of the ability to repeat their efforts, that allows us to start the championship in good conditions. We have players capable of applying the instructions. After all, what needs to be erased quickly is our efficiency. You have to score but you shouldn’t cash in every time the others score too.