Amiens SC snatched the place of leader, even if it is in “co”leader with Bordeaux, at Stade Malherbe this weekend. The ASC beat Grenoble 1-0 while the weed growers suffered a setback in Le Havre. A position that obviously suits the Amiens coach who was the guest “of the show Allo Malherbe, on France Bleu Normandie, this Monday evening between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. The two clubs face each other on Saturday evening at Ornano.
France Bleu Normandie: Does it change anything for you and your players to be co-leaders?
Philippe Hinschberger: Frankly no. You know, you have a 1st to 20th place ranking. Last year at this time, we were 18ᵉ or 19ᵉ. We simply grant ourselves the right to breathe a little when we are in the top five. We also had a small goal because we had already missed it in Le Havre, against the PFC by drawing. But hey, overall, you know whatever happens, it’s better to be first than 20ᵉ.
FBN: Especially since the start of the season was complicated. You got into it from the start with this match in Metz (3-0), it was not so easy to go and see your former club.
PH: These arethe quirks of football. We almost played our best game in Metz. We made two, three huge mistakes which gave them the three goals. Finally, an evil for a good that allowed us to directly correct our defensive behavior. Except that we were really too, too, too, too much in gift mode. So since then, we’ve conceded a lot fewer goals (…) We don’t have to look beyond the end of our shoes because we have no room for improvement, so it’s not worth it to puff out your chest.
FBN: It’s true that you conceded half of your goals in that first game against Metz. And then you said it, no more than one goal per game, it’s quite effective…
PH: It also depends, we could have conceded more goals against Paris. Above all, we could have taken a lot more goals in Le Havre eight days ago (…) And then Tolu Arokodare, our striker, reframed things with Baptiste and our two strikers (…) And we had the arrival of Papiss Cissé who, despite his 37 years, exudes a lot of positive energy. And I think so, we don’t see it on the pitch.
FBN: The second season in Ligue 2 is not easy. We feel that Amiens is recovering fairly quickly. Finally, do you feel that the adventures of the descent have been digested? That new foundations have really been laid?
PH: Listen, I’m here, so I was able to put my conditions of expression in quotes. That’s to say ? I asked for a group of 22 outfield players. No further behind, we were closer to 30 than 20, which is absolutely useless, apart from creating negative sub-groups of people who don’t play and who drag the group down (.. .) We have also greatly rejuvenated our workforce by directly integrating five young people from the training center. I think we have the second youngest squad in Ligue 2 today, but we also have experienced players to occupy the long term. And finally, the club has also changed in its organization, named Patrice Décamp, the former manager of the training center, director of the club. It is up to him to reorganize all the floors. And then we want to turn to our supporters.
FBN: Philippe Hinschberger, how do you see this team from Caen and how to outsmart this team? By the way, you also play with 3 central defenders, it seems to me?
PH: Yes, absolutely. Since October, at home, there are three switchboards. But it was to be more solid behind (…) I can keep you secret. I haven’t watched this Caen team yet because I’m back from my match. We have people working on it and we will put our sessions according to what we have seen on this Caen team. But it will necessarily be for me in the game this season. Not necessarily in relation to its workforce. But the quality of his coach Stéphane who is somewhat in the same conditions as me. He has now arrived for a year so he can also work in a more serene way. When you arrive in a club, it’s never obvious. But I see Caen necessarily in the first three or four.