Nice Premium: Patrice, you are currently 6th in the standings. On Saturday, you will travel to Arles, who are 3rd with a six-point lead. How are you approaching this match?
Patrice Carteron: We’re approaching it better since Arles lost their catch-up match in Rodez. It would have been difficult to face such a tough opponent on their home ground. They would have had the upper hand with a nine-point lead to manage. We’re going to approach it like a final, but especially as an additional final. Several weeks ago, I told the players that from now on, every match is a final, as we each time have the opportunity to climb a notch. This weekend, it’s still the case. It’s a very complicated but fantastic match to play.
NP: You haven’t been defeated since December 5th. You also secured two good draws at Istres and Paris. How do you explain this resurgence?
PC: Before this streak, we were still losing big matches against the run of play, notably against Laval and Louhans-Cuiseaux. But it’s true that we had a very difficult patch. At one point, we could have thought our season was over since we were on the brink of relegation. We were truly against the wall. The players could have fallen apart, but seeing that the staff was fully supporting them motivated them. There was a slight turnaround.
I think the trip to Mayotte for the French Cup at the end of November 2008 brought us closer together. It was very beneficial to share those experiences there. The team regained confidence.
NP: What makes you think that AS Cannes can now secure this third spot and thus move up to Ligue 2?
PC: We quickly went from a status where people talked about staying up to being contenders for the third place. We’ve made a great comeback, but it’s just a great comeback. The goal is to not relax. That’s why I wanted the reinforcement of new players during the winter transfer window. At the end of the season, the bodies are tired. We will need freshness physically, technically, and tactically. We’re also creating healthy competition. The players are all heading in the same direction, which is good.
NP: How would you describe this National championship?
It’s a very tough league. Its reputation for athleticism is very well founded. The majority of the teams rely on excellent athletic performances, which explains the numerous good runs of six or seven matches that several teams have. It depends on the form of the moment. We must be very cautious with our roster. If we exclude Laval and Istres (first and second with respectively twelve and nine points ahead of the third, editor’s note), there is a tightening with Louhans, Pacy sur Eure, Sète, Cassis-Carnoux, Paris, us,… With fifteen rounds to go, seven or eight teams can chase this third place. This weekend is important. We go to Arles, Cassis-Carnoux hosts Louhans and Istres goes to Sète. Ideally, there should be a draw, a win for Istres, and one for Cannes, of course!
NP: Under what conditions did you take over at AS Cannes?
PC: In 2007, we were at 13 matches without a win on the penultimate day. We were coming off a 4-1 loss at Clermont. The situation was really disheartening. The leaders called on me (I was part of the recruitment team after ending my playing career, editor’s note) and my assistant Gilbert Angelotti to save the club. We won at Boulogne on the last day. The following season, with nine rounds to go, the mission to stay up was almost impossible. We took over the reins of the team. We managed to stay up and quite naturally the club’s management proposed that I continue as coach.
NP: You experienced a promotion before coming to Cannes, it was with AS Saint-Etienne and you were crowned Ligue 2 champions in 2004. What memories do you have of that period and your time at that club?
PC: I have memories and emotions that will remain etched in my memory. AS Saint-Etienne is a special club. The year we won the title, we had a dream season while eighteen months prior we were twentieth in Ligue 2. I experienced magical moments there. After the match against Châteauroux (2-1 win for the French championship title), we crossed the city to go from the stadium to the Town Hall. There were thousands of people; it was simply magical.
NP: Do you see yourself one day on the bench at St. Etienne again?
PC: I still have a lot of contacts with the fans and I love this club, but I know how to keep things in perspective. I realize that coaching at a high level requires experience and assets. If one day I reach the high level and ASSE thinks I can bring something to the team, I would accept. But for now, I am at AS Cannes.
