Rainy wedding, happy wedding for Olivier Guégan, the new coach of FC Sochaux Montbéliard? Monday, the resumption of training for the Yellows and Blues took place in the rain. About fifty supporters came to attend this first training session led by the successor of Omar Daf, Olivier Guégan, new strongman of the FCSM. He gave an interview to France Bleu Belfort Montbéliard.
FBBM: Olivier Guégan, you say you arrive with great pride. Is it a big challenge in your career today to take charge of this club?
Olivier Guégan: It’s a continuation of my development. It is with great desire and determination that I join FC Sochaux-Montbéliard, one of the major clubs in the division. And then, with a lot of humility too, because it’s going to take a lot of work and a lot of personality to perform. So I measure the task. But it is with great pride that I join this beautiful and great club.
Have you already set an ambition for this season?
When you’re a high-level competitor, when you’re in this range of clubs, you have to be ambitious. After all, it’s all about showing it too. So we have five weeks to properly prepare the workforce, to fine-tune it also in terms of recruitment. My desire also is to have a full group very very quickly in order to be able to launch the game project and the club project. After five weeks, it’s a long time, but it’s also very short. This championship is going to be very competitive with big teams but it’s a championship which is going to be very interesting and exciting.
Didn’t we clearly say “we’re playing the climb to Sochaux with you”?
No, but it’s completely illusory to announce things on the first day. It’s up to us to build our squad with a lot of peace of mind because there’s no need to panic because there are already quality players. Now, there are also players to bring in to have a seat and then to still have a group scheduled to perform. So we are going to be ambitious like many teams. Unfortunately, only two will go up, four will go down. So we have to, we have to get off to a good start. But no immediate goal.
A scorer with fifteen or 20 goals, is it the priority of priorities?
Not only. The offensive sector too. I love Aldo Kalulu, I love the players around. There is a workforce that has performed well in recent years. Now we have to bring back additional keys. But above all, it will be their integration which will be important in the collective which is already in place. So yes, there is an attacking profile that is essential. There is a midfield profile which is important and a low central hinge profile which is going to be important too.
After Omar Daf, Olivier Guégan. Is it easy or not?
It’s never easy to get behind someone who has a history with his club. Omar has had a fantastic career with this club. Afterwards, I am very proud to go behind him and to be able to bring my stone to the building and to continue what has been started in recent years.
Olivier Guégan….Is it a style of coach very close to his players?
Yes, it’s part of my DNA. I was a former player, I know what I like in coaches. I know what I don’t like about coaches. And my proximity to the players is very important. Afterwards, you must not leave the frame, but there is no problem. And the connection with the players…it smells good already, from day one.
You spoke of an exceptional public here in Sochaux. Will we also have to convince them?
We have to keep looking for them, of course. I believe that Sochaux had an average of 9,000 people over the year. We feel that there is an expectation. We feel that there is an audience of connoisseurs, demanding but when we are in Sochaux, we know why we come. So I’m very happy and it’s up to us, the team, the group, the staff, to get this audience who will necessarily be our 12th man this season.