On Saturday, OGC Nice will host Stade Malherbe de Caen for the final Ligue 1 match of the 2007-2008 season. The game has no real stakes. The sole ambition: to reconnect with victory at the Stade du Ray in front of the loyal supporters of the Red and Blacks. Caen aims to outpace their rivals of the day in the standings and finish the season in the top half of the league, an excellent achievement for a newly promoted team. They are coming off a brilliant 4-1 victory in Strasbourg. The Norman coach Franck Dumas relies on a young squad capable of playing lively and technical soccer, exemplified by Yoan Gouffran, a hopeful in French football and scorer of ten goals.
On Wednesday afternoon, exceptionally at Stade du Ray due to renovations in the Charles Erhmann locker rooms, the Eagles’ training took place in a very good atmosphere. Cyril Rool (gastroenteritis) was absent. Habib Bamogo just jogged light. Hugo Lloris came to watch his colleagues. Simple passes and then half-field scrimmages: nothing out of the ordinary. Lilian Laslandes’ return to training was notable. He was very motivated, also upset with himself with every missed goal. The same mindset applied to Baky Koné, who will seek on Saturday to increase his goal tally: “Damn… I can’t miss that!” The third striker, Anthony Modeste, was also unhappy in front of the goal. He remained silent, but his dissatisfaction was evident: “Anthony, don’t hang your head! I don’t like players who hang their heads!” shouted Frédéric Antonetti. The Azurean coach mixed in some young players: “There’s little Pastor, some young Ghanaians, Berthomier. I’m testing them to see who can join the pro squad for next season’s preparation.” And the “youngsters” seemed the most motivated on the Ray’s grass that Wednesday afternoon. Come Saturday, the “pros” will regain their motivation and effectiveness in front of the goals against Caen to reward their loyal supporters.
