- The transfer window and the recruitment of Valencian defender Ismaël Doukouré:
“He’s a young player who is comfortable getting off the ball, who has a very good mentality, who will fit in very well, I’m sure, in the squad and the Strasbourg locker room. He has the potential in the months and years to come to be a very interesting defender for Racing. He has good technique, a good vision of the game, good anticipation, an intelligence that is considered above average”.
During this winter transfer window, Racing lent for six months, without an option to buy, the striker Lebo Mothiba in Troyes. He also formalized on Monday the loan until the end of the season of the young striker Benjamin Besic at the neighboring club of Schiltigheim (National 2).
- Recipes for success:
With an almost unchanged workforce, Racing is at the fourth place in Ligue 1 after 22 days. There is obviously obvious tactical progress, a constant offensive going, but for Julien Stéphan, one of the main keys is human management. He managed to restore confidence among players who sometimes struggled last season.
“It’s something that marked me at the start, it’s the lack of confidence and esteem of certain players. It’s an essential thing. Without confidence and without self-esteem, you can’t try, try. And you also have to accept making mistakes at times in order to succeed better afterwards. You have to give special status to making mistakes so that it doesn’t turn into frustration. On the contrary, you have to use mistakes to progress” .
In 100% Racing, Julien Stéphan addressed several tactical aspects : the 3-5-2 game system, the efficiency of the Strasbourg centerers (and the relative inefficiency – for the moment – on corners) or the quality of the pressing and the counter-pressing of Strasbourg.
- Ambitions for the second half of the season:
Racing is currently ahead of several major Ligue 1 teams and is in an unexpected fourth place at the start of the season. The supporters are getting to dream of Europe. Julien Stéphan does not want to shower their optimist, but remains cautious and realistic.
“I don’t want to fight this, he explains. Je lets people think what they want to think, and the more they think about it, the more they carry us and push us. We will let them carry us and push us as far as possible. Afterwards if we are a little Cartesian and I am very Cartesian (to smile), we look at the budget we have, who we have to deal with. There is Lille, the champion of France, Lyon, Monaco. We tell ourselves that it would be an exceptional achievement to keep at least one of these three teams behind us. But we will fight with our weapons, our forces, our desire, our enthusiasm for as long as possible.
- His personal journey:
Julien Stéphan also spoke about his personal journey, his relationship with his father Guy. He was never able to become a professional footballer, but ensures that it is not a frustration.
And lots of other things to listen to with the REPLAY: