• FC Nantes, 18th in Ligue 1, managed to stay in Ligue 1 after the play-offs won against Toulouse.

  • Antoine Kombouaré, who arrived in February to save the club, succeeded in a challenge that was far from won in advance.

“Whatever the context, I want to save the club. I do not know the result, but in any case, I really want. “During his presentation on his arrival on February 11, Antoine Kombouaré hammered his determination to maintain FC Nantes, 18th, and disoriented after the flash and mediocre passage of Raymond Domenech on the bench. An employee recounts the first words heard in Kombouaré's mouth. They echo those pronounced in front of the press. “I owe everything to this club, I was born here. I have to maintain it. We will do it. "

And to get there, the technician, aged 57, choice number 1 of Franck Kita and Philippe Mao, the technical director of the club, immediately marks his authority.

During the first training session, he is acerbic with the players who arrived late due to the chaos caused by the snow which was exceptionally invited to Nantes that day, and by the traffic jams due to the presence of Emmanuel Macron in the city of the dukes.

While his predecessor did not attach importance to a delay of two or three minutes in training, Kombouaré does not compromise with that.

"He brought an enormous rigor which was lacking in this group ...", recognizes a close to the locker room.

Kombouaré uncompromising with discipline

Shortly after his arrival, he reduces his group and dismisses Basila, Ndilu and Augustin whom they do not consider to be level. All three are asked to train in reserve until the end of the season. He also slices in the deep a month later by also sending Batista Mendy back to reserve because he does not attend a compulsory meal organized in honor of Abdoulaye Touré's birthday. Another close to the locker room: “Kombouaré advocates respect for the institution and the collective interest. As soon as he arrived, he spoke of three strong axes: work, professionalism and respect. If a player no longer seems to him in the project, he releases him… ”As he did with Kader Bamba, who would have had harsh words vis-à-vis the quality of his sessions.The attacking midfielder then trained for a week with the reserve and never returned to the pro group in a match. Some executives tried to dissuade the coach from depriving himself of Bamba, Kombouaré remained inflexible.

“Kombouaré was able to shake the coconut tree too…”, estimates this regular in the Nantes locker room. He knew how to transmit “his vitality”, “his rage to win” and “his desire to leave his guts on the ground”. From the first match (1-3 victory at Angers), his dynamism in front of his bench immediately contrasts with the passivity of Domenech or Gourcuff. Even if it does not really materialize in the standings, the recovery of the Canaries will be spectacular after their arrival (6 victories with Kanak in 14 days against only 3 successes with the other three coaches in 24 days). From the 25th day (success in Angers) to the 38th day, FCN Kombouaré ranks seventh in L1 with a cannonball end (four successes in the last five games). Kombouaré is bloody.His aversion to defeats made him slip after a setback (1-2) against Nice at Beaujoire in early April. Exasperated after the match, he ended up physically challenging Nicolas Pallois, who asked him to calm down. It takes the intervention of players in particular so that the two men do not come to blows.

He found his eleven at the best time

Arrived in Nantes with a service firefighter label which had earned him, in particular in Toulouse (October 2019-January 2020), sarcasm on social networks and in certain prime-time shows (Bande de confs sur Canal +), the Kanak tries to get rid of this image from the first press conference by refusing to pronounce the word "commando operation". “His” FCN will ultimately not be ugly to watch, especially in the last five or six games. The 4-4-2 (or 4-2-3-1) that he concocts and renews every weekend stabilizes the team on the defensive level and gives more offensive impetus. Kombouaré takes Touré and Girotto out of the eleven and brings in Chirivella and Castelletto in their places. Louza is replaced in his midfielder position next to Chirivella.He makes better use of Kolo Muani's qualities of speed by pairing him with Coulibaly. Despite a perhaps hazardous change during the defeat of Montpellier, Antoine Kombouaré was able to give coherence to the collective expression of the Canaries during his mission. Until these dams won and this place kept in Ligue 1 ... on the wire. Sunday at the end of the return match, captain Alban Lafont paid tribute to his trainer: “I think that without Kombouaré, we would not have managed to hold on! "Captain Alban Lafont paid tribute to his trainer: “I think that without Kombouaré, we would not have managed to hold on! "Captain Alban Lafont paid tribute to his trainer: “I think that without Kombouaré, we would not have managed to hold on! "

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  • Waldemar kita

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