2023-08-11 06:53:11
The National Championship begins this Friday. After having narrowly failed for the climb last season, the Red Star (3rd) and Versailles (5th) will still aim for the first places in a championship which still promises to be very complicated with six descents and many favorites. Red Star travel to promoted Epinal as the Versailles game has been postponed given the uncertainty surrounding the 18th team and the fate of Sochaux.
Red Star relies on stability
After having failed since 2019 to go back to L2 (5th, 7th, 11th and 3rd), will this 5th season in a row at this level finally be the right one for Red Star? To achieve this, the Saint-Ouen club, which went under the American flag but is still managed by Patrice Haddad and his teams, has relied on continuity. By leaving for a 3rd season, Habib Beye, who should reduce his consulting activities on Canal +, has sent a strong signal. “I said to the players, to my leaders: I needed to evacuate for three weeks to find out if I was able to represent myself in front of you and that you have a coach who has the same will, the same ambition. , the same energy and the same determination. It was out of the question to represent me in front of you at 70% or to think of another club. If I’m here today, it’s because I’m even more determined and ambitious for this project of ours, ”explained Beye in the program le club des cinq on Youtube.
The Red Star have only lost two real starters: Ludovic Butelle (Reims) and Noah Cadiou (QRM) and recruited five players: Quentin Beunardeau (Leixões, Portugal), Ivann Botella (RWD Molenbeek, Belgium), Joachim Eickmayer (Bourg- en-Bresse) and the Italian Paolo Gozzi, on loan from Genoa, another club belonging to the 777 galaxy. They have been officially joined since Wednesday by Bissenty Mendy, at the heart of a legal imbroglio with his now former club Annecy (L2) and who, as we revealed, was used under the name “Sanogo” for the preparation matches.
If last season, the revelation Jovany Ikanga remedied the failures of Fall and Anani, the Red Star did not recruit the center forward capable of scoring 15 goals. But with Kouagba, Meyapya, Doucouré, El Hriti, Dembi, Ndoye, Ifnaoui, Benali or Durand, the base is very solid.
Versailles plays it more modestly
To live happily, let’s live hidden… After having been talked about a lot last season, often in spite of himself, the new Versailles has chosen minimal communication in recent weeks. This summer, a lot of things have changed. On the verge of bankruptcy, the club was taken over by Alexandre Mulliez (grandson of the founder of Auchan) and his partner Fabien Lazare. Very present on a daily basis unlike their predecessors Christophe Petit and Julien Ridon (who remain minority shareholders), the new owners have already endeavored to strengthen the sporting and administrative structures of a club which looked like an empty shell.
After seven years in Rodez (from N2 to L2) where he was dismissed last October, it was Laurent Peyrelade (53) who was appointed to lead this new sports project after the failed passage of Cris. Recruitment level, no more bling-bling and excessive salaries for the level. If Versailles has recruited the experienced Romain Basque (ex-Le Havre, QRM, Châteauroux; 108 matches in L2) and Lassana Diakhaby (Martigues), the majority of the reinforcements come from below like Djibril Bangoura (Châteaubriant, N2), who is already highlighted during the preparation, Bilal Hend (FC Progres Niederkorn, Luxembourg), Kevin Mbala (PFC reserve) or Kevin Nadje (Laval reserve). “I think Salomon Kashala (recruitment manager, ex-Dunkirk) has done a good job. The idea was to bring speed and freshness to our group which was quite experienced”, explains Laurent Peyrelade who can always count on a big frame (Renot, Jaques, Akueson, Gibaud, Damour, Lens, Leborgne, Prunier …).
As we announced on July 5, Versailles will still play at the Jean Bouin stadium in Paris and has taken over the PSG women’s facilities in Bougival as a training center.
#National #Red #Star #Versailles #ambitious #IledeFrance #clubs