A legendary club in the French championship, AS Saint-Étienne will regain the fervor of its supporters this season, after a season and a half of forced separation. Their help will be significant in a sporting difficult period. The two owners Bernard Caïazzo and Roland Romeyer are looking for a buyer, and are limiting investments. The Greens must therefore revise their objectives downwards. To finish in the first part of the table would already be a success. The season will also be an opportunity to hatch many young people, and to hope for future gains in the next mercatos.
Context and ambitions
Do with the means at hand. Below is the arduous mission entrusted to Claude Puel since his arrival at L’Étrat. The 2021-2022 season will be no exception to the rule.
The transfer window? Light in the direction of departures, non-existent in that of arrivals. If Romain Hamouma extended by one season, Jessy Moulin, Mathieu Debuchy and Kévin Monnet-Paquet have left. Executives can now be counted on the fingers of one hand, as evidenced by the captaincy entrusted to Mahdi Camara, only 23 years old. For their last season in Forez, Wahdi Khazri and Ryad Boudebouz will have to bring their young teammates in search of their experience and that of Denis Bouanga. The rest ? Almost only young people from the training center, at heterogeneous levels. Squad depth could be the main drag on the team if there are too many injuries or suspensions.
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Under these conditions, it’s hard to imagine the Stéphanois doing much better than last season (11e). Gone are the days of ASSE playing Europe every season, at least for a while.
AS Saint-Étienne transfer window
Arrivals. Loan return : Alexandros Katranis (Hatayspor), Assane Diousé (Ankaragücü), Jean-Philippe Krasso (Le Mans), Mickaël Nadé (Quevilly).
Departures. Jessy Moulin (Troyes). Ready : Sergi Palencia (Leganés). Return loan: Anthony Modeste (Cologne), Panagiotis Retsos (Bayer Leverkusen), Pape Abou Cissé (Olympiakos). End of contract : Mathieu Debuchy, Kévin Monnet-Paquet.
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Guardians (3): Stefan Bajic, Boubacar Fall, Étienne Green.
Defenders (8): Alexandros Katranis, Timothée Kolodziejczak, Yvann Maçon, Harold Moukoudi, Gabriel Moisés Antunes Silva, Alpha Sissoko, Saïdou Sow, Miguel Trauco.
Environments (9): Adil Aouchiche, Bilal Benkhedim, Ryad Boudebouz, Mahdi Camara, Assane Diousse, Lucas Gourna-Douath, Aïmen Moueffek, Yvan Neyou, Zaydou Youssouf.
Forwards (7) : Charles Abi, Denis Bouanga, Romain Hamouma, Wahbi Khazri, Jean-Philippe Krasso, Arnaud Nordin, Maxence Rivera.
The coach: Claude Puel
His career speaks for him. After 600 games as a recovering midfielder in Monaco (1979-1996), Claude Puel set himself a career as a coach. Since 1999, he has traveled in France (Monaco 1999-2001, Lille 2002-2008, Lyon 2008-2011, Nice, 2012-2016) or in England (Southampton 2016-2017, Leicester 2017-2019). With a nice track record: a Ligue 1, an Intertoto Cup, a Champions Trophy, a League Cup and a UNFP best coach trophy.
Claude Puel begins his third season under the colors of Saint-Etienne. © AFP
Arrived in October 2019 in Forez, Claude Puel must deal with limited resources and unbalanced staff, between rare experienced leaders and a large youth who still have to learn. Under these conditions, he must also lower his ambitions, and first of all ensure that he remains calm. After completing 17e in 2019-2020, he allowed his team to grab the 11e square. His contract runs until the end of the season.
The player to watch: Étienne Green
With such a name, he was predestined to play in the cages of AS Saint-Étienne. Especially since his parents named him after the Loire prefecture. And yet, it was a little surprise to see Étienne Green on the lawn on April 4, facing Nîmes. At the start of the 2020-2021 season, the goalkeeper was fourth in the hierarchy behind Stéphane Ruffier, Jessy Moulin and Stefan Bajic.
But the first licensee, the next two injured, the 21-year-old had his chance. And he more than got it. A penalty stopped and a clean sheet later, here he is man of the match. Above all, Étienne Green has become a starter and will continue to do so this season. Jessy Moulin left free in Troyes, Stefan Bajic has demoted in the hierarchy. It is up to him to assume this status, to grow a little more and to associate his name with the legend of the Greens.
Palmares
Founded in 1906, AS Saint-Étienne still holds the French championship record, with 10 titles, ahead of PSG and OM (9 each). The Forez club enjoyed a prosperous period between 1964 and 1976, winning 8 of the 13 National Division and then Division 1 titles (the names at the time) contested. He won all his championships in a quarter of a century: 1957, 1964, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1974, 1975, 1976 and 1981. At the lower level, ASSE was champion of the interregional division (1963) , Division 2 (1999) and Ligue 2 (2004).
The club is also on the podium of the teams having won the most Cups of France, with six successes in 1962, 1968, 1970, 1974, 1975, 1977. Finally, it also has on its shelves five Challenge des champions, the ancestor of the Champions Trophy (1957, 1962, 1967, 1968, 1969) and a League Cup (2013), his last trophy won.
Tour of the stadiums of Ouest-France
# 1 The presentation of Clermont Foot
# 2 The presentation of ESTAC Troyes
# 3 The presentation of FC Metz
# 4 The presentation of FC Lorient
# 5 Presentation of the Stade de Reims
# 6 Presentation of Stade Brestois
# 7 The presentation of Angers Sco
# 8 The presentation of Montpellier
# 9 The presentation of FC Nantes
# 10 The presentation of RC Strasbourg
# 11 The presentation of OGC Nice
# 12 The presentation of RC Lens
# 13 The presentation of AS Saint-Etienne
# 14 The presentation of FC Girondins de Bordeaux
# 15 Presentation of Stade Rennais
# 16 The presentation of Lille OSC
# 17 The presentation of AS Monaco
# 18 The presentation of OL
# 19 The presentation of OM
# 20 The presentation of PSG