The derby against Le Havre is not a match like any other in a SM Caen season. Stéphane Moulin understood this well, quickly became aware of this special meeting at the heart of the Stade Malherbe season. “I put myself in the shoes of a Caennais. I understood well, Stéphane Moulin said at a press conference on Friday. There are things you have to learn quickly and soak up quickly. That’s what I do, I know that this match is important for the Caennais, for us. It takes on another dimension today because we have overused a few points. It’s a special match and we have to respond. “
To overthrow people from Le Havre who had been very inspired until then (4e, 5 wins, 5 draws, 1 loss, better defense), the Norman coach has again made accounts which he would have done well: “For this match, we have nine injured, even ten. “ Hugo Vandermersch, Jason Ngouabi, Ibrahim Cissé, Brahim Traoré, Franklin Wadja, Yoann Court, Ilyes Najim, Kélian Nsona and Benjamin Jeannot are on the flank and could be joined in the infirmary by Mehdi Chahiri, uncertain due to back pain.
On the presence or not of the player loaned by Strasbourg at the kickoff could well depend that of Nuno Da Costa in the starting eleven. The 30-year-old striker on loan from Nottingham Forest has not yet played a minute in the Caen jersey but said he was ready, this week in our columns, to play. “We will see, it will depend on those who are able to start, replied Stéphane Moulin on the subject. He can bring us his experience, his speed, his power, his technique. We know we’re not going to have it at its best for the moment. We want to use it, but not too much, so as not to put it in bad conditions. He participated a lot off the field. We expect him to participate a lot in the field. “
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In a Michel-d’Ornano stadium where more than 15,000 people are expected on Saturday (7 p.m.), the Caen technician also had a message for the supporters. “I said two days ago to the manager of the supporters that they are up to the task and that we have not always been. It’s not the latest results at home that are holding back people’s fervor, it’s something to take into account. It’s up to us to put ourselves at their level, even if we weren’t rewarded for everything. We weren’t very lucky but we have to raise our level to become one with our audience. I consider that we had a missed game here, it’s Valenciennes. Even though there have been too many defeats in our stadium, we haven’t shown anything so far. “
Stéphane Moulin: “I know perfectly well the way in which Le Havre will proceed”
To raise the head at home, after four defeats in six matches at home, there will be a customer in front: the team of Paul Le Guen is at the foot of the podium, has not lost for eight matches and has built a fortress. “Le Havre sits on a solid defense. I know perfectly well how they are going to proceed. To beat them, you’ll have to have a good match. We will not win by being bad or average. In football there is run, run together and run smart. Our group feels like they give it their all every time, which I think too. When that allows us to have a convincing result, as against Dijon, that does not translate. Now, we have to learn to better manage spaces and movements, but we are moving on to something higher, and for the moment, we are not there. Le Havre has perfect control over the spaces, they are very well organized. We still tend to disperse, to forget three meters, which forces us to do six to compensate. Le Havre rests on a very dense and well-oiled defensive block. It’s a team that masters its subject. We will have to be able to unbalance a team that perfectly masters its system and which is two and a half years ahead of us, since Paul Le Guen arrived at this club at that time. “
Caen is preparing to record, by far, the best attendance in Ligue 2 so far. On the shoulders of the players there will be a little more weight. “We don’t play big, we play three points. What gives this impression is the opponent. I’m not here to put pressure on the players. They must feel an urge to do better. We must not darken the picture, there are many reasons for the situation. We can’t hide behind that, but we can’t hide everything either. In terms of numbers and injuries, I had never experienced this before. It must weld us together. It’s up to us to turn the tide. The supporters will help us there but they cannot score goals. “
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