When will Nantes learn that sacking managers is not the answer? | Luke Entwistle
Waldemar Kita’s short-termism and paranoia has stifled Nantes in recent years and, as the club hops back on to the managerial roundabout once again, the owner’s approach could yet lead to relegation. Kita has already fired two managers this season: Pierre Aristouy in November and Jocelyn Gourvennec, who was sacked after a 3-1 home defeat to Strasbourg, on Sunday.
“We have felt for a while that we were taking a bad turn,” said Kita in November. That statement sums up Nantes’ direction of travel since he took control of the club in 2007. However, this was not a moment of profound self-reflection from the president. Instead, it was his justification for sacking Aristouy.
Aristouy, who had worked at Nantes for seven years in various roles, was promoted from reserve-team manager to replace Antoine Kombouaré in May last year. He had four games to secure the club’s place in Ligue 1. That mission was narrowly accomplished on the final day of the season and his reward was a contract running until 2025.
It is rare that a Nantes manager sees out his contract; Aristouy was no exception. He immediately came under pressure after beginning this season with back-to-back defeats, but he then recovered to steer Nantes towards mid-table. At the time of his departure in November, the team was on a three-game losing streak. Crucially, though, they were 11th in Ligue 1 and safe. It had not been a spectacular start to the campaign but, for a club that had teetered with relegation just months earlier, it should have been satisfactory.
Kita’s decision to sack him was hasty and ill-judged. “We thought the club could be in peril. After last year, we wanted to act rather than react,” said the president, whose own actions have created an unstable environment where it is almost impossible to lay the foundations for long-term success.
Thirteen managers have taken the hot seat at the Stade de la Beaujoire since the start of the 2016-17 season, with four taking charge of the club in the 2020-21 season alone. Beyond the obvious flaw in this strategy – if it can even be called a strategy – there are question marks about the club’s choices. Bar Sérgio Conceição, who flourished in his brief six-month spell before departing for Porto, no manager has truly succeeded at the club. But they have such little agency and time that it is impossible to ascertain how good they are.
This is particularly true of a newcomer such as Aristouy, who said his own sacking was an “injustice” that would always leave a “bitterness”. “I am convinced we could have done great things,” he said. We will never know; Kita’s paranoia prevents new chapters from being written at the club.
Aristouy’s successor, Gourvennec, did not prove an upgrade. Like Aristouy, he was only in charge of Nantes for 13 league games. The team won 10 points under Gourvennec compared to 15 under Aristouy. Gourvennec inherited a club in mid-table; he leaves with Nantes 16th and in the relegation playoff spot. Nantes’ latest defeat came against fellow strugglers Strasbourg. Despite going into half-time level, Gourvennec’s men were overrun in the second half, with Emanuel Emegha’s brace earning a 3-1 win and a crucial three points for the visitors.
“If you don’t want us to invade the pitch, if nothing changes, that’s exactly what is going to happen,” shouted the Brigade Loire capo after the match. Behind-the-scenes, a succession plan was being hastily hatched by Kita as Nantes prepared to go full circle. Change was afoot but perhaps not necessarily the change that fans would have wanted. They were calling for Kita to resign; instead he sacked his manager and turned to Kombouaré – who he sacked less than a year ago.
Antoine Kombouaré posing with Nantes fans during his previous spell as manager. Photograph: John Berry/Getty Images
Kombouaré put himself on the market last week by telling L’Équipe he was ready for a new challenge. Kita had said that Kombouaré was “worn out and tired” by the end of his last spell at the club, but the manager’s interview with the newspaper had the desired perlocutionary effect.
“He said he was looking for a new team and that he had a good time at Nantes, that he felt Nantais,” said Kita. However, there is a salient fault in the appointment and that is that Kita is now entrusting Kombouaré with Nantes’ survival in Ligue 1, just 12 months after he sacked him for his perceived inability to keep them up.
Kombouaré is a legend of the club both as a player and as a manager, having won the Coupe de France just two seasons ago, but his appointment is uninspiring and symptomatic of the short-termism that is handicapping this historic French club.
Trips to clubs such as Dunkerque and Concarneau in Ligue 2 would represent a mighty fall for a club that drew with Juventus in the Europa League a year ago, but that could be the reality for Nantes next season. Alternatively, Kombouaré may well keep them in the top flight. But, sooner or later, the cycle must be broken and some foundations must be laid for the eight-time league winners to become a serious challenger again.
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Talking points
Pre-match hysteria about Kylian Mbappé’s place in the PSG starting XI has become the norm since he announced his upcoming departure. Reports suggested he would start on the bench against Montpellier at the weekend – just as he did against Nantes and Reims – but Ousmane Dembélé’s punctured eardrum ensured he was in the team. He made the most of his start, not only completing 90 minutes in Ligue 1 for the first time since 2 February, but also scoring a hat-trick as PSG beat Montpellier 6-2. With 38 goals in all competitions this season, Mbappé has overtaken Harry Kane (37 goals in all competitions) to become the top scorer that features in one of Europe’s top five leagues. His final season in Ligue 1 could also be his most prolific.
Kylian Mbappé celebrates after scoring for PSG in their 6-2 win against Montpellier. Photograph: Guillaume Horcajuelo/EPA
Jean-Louis Gasset’s unbeaten run as Marseille manager came to an empthatic end this week. Not only had the former Ivory Coast manager won his first five games in charge but the team scored 18 goals in the process. One of those victories was a 4-0 first-leg victory over Villarreal. Gasset said that only a “catastrophic” performance would see Marseille squander their advantage in the second leg. It was meant as a warning, but it ultimately proved a blueprint, with Marseille only narrowly advancing (5-3 on aggregate) against the Spanish side. A fatigued Marseille side then slumped to their first defeat in Ligue 1 under Gasset, with fellow European hopefuls Rennes striking an important blow with a 2-0 victory. “We were lacking a bit of fuel,” said Gasset, who will be grateful for the upcoming international break.
Pos Team P GD Pts
1 PSG 26 39 59
2 Brest 26 16 47
3 Monaco 26 11 46
4 Lille 26 14 43
5 Nice 26 7 43
6 Lens 26 8 42
7 Marseille 26 12 39
8 Rennes 26 9 39
9 Reims 26 -1 38
10 Lyon 26 -10 34
11 Toulouse 26 -7 29
12 Strasbourg 26 -11 29
13 Le Havre 26 -7 27
14 Montpellier 26 -9 26
15 Lorient 26 -14 26
16 Nantes 26 -17 25
17 Metz 26 -16 23
18 Clermont Foot 26 -24 20
This is an article from Get French Football News
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