N2: “We were forgotten by the Covid”, the painful observation of Colomiers coach Patrice Maurel

While the last two seasons could not be completed because of the health crisis, Colomiers finally returned to competition on Saturday August 7 with the reception of Puy Foot 43 Auvergne. Coach Patrice Maurel takes stock at the dawn of this first day of the championship.

Colomiers has played only three official games in the past nine months. How did you experience this unprecedented period?

We were forgotten by the Covid. We were kept in suspense every fortnight by telling us that we would resume, unlike the regional championships and National 3 which had been stopped. We were therefore obliged to keep the players alert, then we were told the resumption of the Coupe de France to everyone’s surprise, telling us that the championships would also resume, which has never been the case. You have to imagine that behind all this there are men who train hard. When we are promised something and not given it to us, it is a form of injustice.

How did the preparation go?

It was very difficult since there was a positive case on the first day of the recovery on July 5, then seven more four days later. We were all placed in solitary confinement. The preparation was therefore truncated but we adapted by multiplying the friendly matches to get everyone afloat. We recovered the players in different states of form, it’s a headache for the staff but it’s still a trainer.

You have recorded four departures for three arrivals of experienced players (see box). Are you satisfied with the transfer window?

We cannot approach National 2 with only young people, even if they are really great. We wanted to bring experience and experience, we are very happy with what we were able to do with our limited means (14th budget out of 16). But for me we really have five recruits with the very important returns of Brice Ventrice (injured) and Cheikh Bangré (not qualified then injured) who could not play last year.

How do you rate your hen?

The National 2 is no longer an amateur championship. Gone are the days when players trained in the evening, after work. Today, it is professionalism in disguise. It’s a very difficult championship in which we have managed to do very good things so far, but we also know the price for that, namely that we have no room for maneuver. Even more this season with our truncated preparation, we will have to be very united and determined during the first days.

What is the goal of USC?

We are in a society in which we linger on the blows of brilliance, me, I prefer regularity. The primary objective is therefore to be consistent in performance, while keeping our identity. We have managed to be for years in a championship where we overperform. This is a reality because whether we like it or not, when we look at the budgets, the richest is the favorite and the less rich is promised to hell. Colomiers is promised hell, but each time we are at the top of the ranking.