Arrived at Toulouse Football Club, just after the club’s descent into Ligue 2 in the summer of 2020, Brecht Dejaegere quickly became an executive in a young locker room. Captain since the departure of Ruben Gabrielsen, he is leading his team towards the rise in Ligue 1. An objective which could become reality in the coming weeks as the TFC dominates the antechamber of the French championship.
The match against Paris FC, Saturday April 2, could give Toulouse ten points ahead of the Ile-de-France residents seven days from the end. Injured and absent since January, the Belgian should return to guide his teammates to the Talent League as best he can.
Franceinfo: sport: the match against Paris can be decisive in consolidating your lead in your quest for recovery. How do you approach it?
Brecht Dejaegere: We are on a big series (seven wins in eight games, editor’s note) and we want to continue it against Paris. Ligue 2 is a difficult championship where everyone can beat everyone, so you have to be able to make series like the one we are doing now.
We started the season very well, after that we had a shot less well because we were more able to open the scoring from a set piece. However, it allows us to play the ball more calmly because the teams remain low against us and if we open the scoring, they are obliged to leave spaces. A lot of spectators, supporters will come on Saturday, so we have to give everything to extend this series and take the climb as quickly as possible.
Franceinfo: sport: how did you approach this season after the failure in the play-offs against FC Nantes last year?
At first there were some doubts within the group because many important players (Gabrielsen, Machado, Adli, Antiste, among others, editor’s note) are gone and you never know how it will turn out. But as soon as we saw the whole team, we thought they were good players and good guys.
There are a lot of different nationalities, it created a dynamic in the locker room. The group is very young and they learn something from each culture. You always have to have a balance for the needs of the team and here it works well, there is good interaction between each player.
Has the arrival of a new coach, Philippe Montanier, who replaced Patrice Garande in the off-season, changed the way you play?
We are more relaxed in possession of the ball than last year. The big difference is that the coach wants us to raise from behind whereas last year we preferred not to take risks and play long to compete for second balls. This year, we have more players to start from behind.
The other big difference is Branco’s incredible season (van den Boomen, author of 12 goals and 17 assists, editor’s note). It’s a set piece weapon. If the match is closed, it can open with a free kick, a corner, a penalty and then the teams must come and we have the weapons to play counterattacks with Nathan Ngoumou or Rafael Ratao who are fast. In the middle, we have the technical quality to launch them well in depth.