It’s been a long time since the question was asked with so much vigor at FC Nantes. A week after their incredible performance against the probable future champion of France, the Canaries are expected at the turn. As a Coupe de France semi-final looms against AS Monaco on Wednesday evening, the team led by Antoine Kombouaré must first face FC Metz, this Sunday afternoon, modest nineteenth in Ligue 1 tied on points with the Bordeaux red lantern. “It’s a big gap“, loose in a smile the Kanak. It is also the ability of these Canaries to be able to chain and not relax that will be put to the test in a match that could allow them to definitively validate the maintenance bridges.
“We reset the clocks”
The euphoria did not last long after FC Nantes’ huge performance against Paris Saint-Germain. Barely out of the locker room, Ludovic Blas’ teammates had only one word in their mouths: “humility”. The smile might be present on the faces, they preferred to temper, to play it modest. Antoine Kombouaré’s instructions had passed. “You have to stay calm” whispered Pedro Chirivella. “If we go to Metz and we lose, for me, the victory against Paris will have been for nothing” Shortly before, the coach who allowed the Spaniard to take a step forward had delivered a similar speech. “We are already watching the match next Sunday, in Metz” had launched the successor of Raymond Domenech to the journalists. “I learned that you can quickly slack off after a win. We reset the clocks. If we have praise, so much the better, but if it’s to wallow next Sunday, it’s useless.”
The experience of the former technician of TéFéCé, Dijon or even Guingamp should precisely help the Yellows to follow up well. In Moselle, the will and the state of mind will speak more than the statistics. Going back in time and collecting the results of the Canaries the day after great performances does not mean much here because there have been many changes since then. The coach first. The players and their mentality then. The only possible parallel is that of success at the Parc des Princes last year, following which the band of Alban Lafont conceded a draw against Lorient. But the circumstances were very different at the time for Yellow and Green launched in a desperate race to save their skin. The 50-year-old knows this only too well: “With my experience, I tried everything, after a feat like the one we signed”, he detailed at a press conference. “I tried to be tough, and sometimes we lost behind. I also tried to be very nice, but we lost. It depends on the player.” And the dynamics of a team.
Renew the objectives so as not to tire a group
“All the lights are green but we have to keep working and approach all the matches in the same way to stay on the same dynamic.” assures Charles Traoré, downgraded in favor of the young Quentin Merlin. The season is positive, but we must continue to go as high as possible.“All week, the technical management has endeavored to distill its messages to keep a group on the alert.”We spent our time preventing, exchanging, discussingabounds the man with 40.5% success with Nantes. I was attentive to player feedback also because there is always a risk of relaxation.” To reduce it to try to make it insignificant, Antoine Kombouaré distributes the objectives to be completed before each meeting.
“If we win in Metz, we will have acquired the maintenance points and after everything will be possible, we can dream of something else“, aims the man at the head of the first team for a year. Something to motivate his team which will be deprived of Moses Simon, Quentin Merlin, Jean-Charles Castelletto or even Fabio at the Saint-Symphorien stadium. Something also to try to go seek a first success in Metz in the league for more than ten years. “Then we will think of the semi-final against MonacoCharles Traoré program. We take match after match because we can only be halfway into it, it goes quickly in both directions.“A maxim which finds its source in the pain of last season and which today allows FC Nantes to project itself towards a breathtaking end to the season. But always with caution.