AS Saint-Etienne : “ASSE took a vital turn under Claude Puel” | ASSE News

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Goal ! Saint-Etienne: Bernard, you left ASSE four years ago but you must be happy to see that the club has taken a turn towards young people since …

Bernard David: You know, in terms of training, we often measure the quality of work at four to five years. You recruit young people at 14-15 years old and you have to know how to wait 18-19-20 years to see them appear in the first team. The youngest come out at 17, but most of them are not seen until they come of age. During my stay between 2012 and 2017 and under the leadership of Gérard Fernandez, we recruited Saliba, Fofana, Nordin, Camara, Bamba, Rivera, Abi … We must believe that we were not too wrong. Before I returned to Auxerre, I very much regretted not seeing enough young people launched into the professional world, but that was in line with the policy at the time. Today, with Claude Puel, we are in the opposite dynamic. I can only be happy about it.

How would you qualify this turn taken under Claude Puel: “reassuring”, “necessary”?

I would say it’s vital! Today, with the pandemic and its economic consequences, training players for yourself and selling is a necessity. ASSE now has a coach who throws a lot of young people and that is also something very reassuring. This brings freshness to French football but also at the local level. When I see Saïdou Sow scoring with a header against the French champion, it’s wonderful.

“The Mahdi Camara or Arnaud Nordin wiped the plasters in N3”

These young people also gained a lot of experience in the difficult race to maintain last year …

These are players who for many have built themselves in difficulty. I remember when we managed the reserve with Julien Sablé. The Mahdi Camara or Arnaud Nordin wiped the plaster. It was not easy in National 3. We even had difficulty maintaining ourselves. These are the years that also make them what they are today. The transition to pro is essential. You have to know how to lose points in order to gain them later when you put young people …

This is exactly what Claude Puel said with Wesley Fofana in an interview a few weeks ago …

Wesley Fofana is the best example. When we went to look for him in the South, in Vitrolles, it was not won. Both in terms of behavior and sporting. When he started out as a pro, he was perfectible and he made mistakes. A year later, ASSE made it their biggest sale in Leicester. The luck of Saint-Etienne is to be able to count on good boys, who have always wanted to get out of it. It is a very good example for others.

In all this generation of players, have you had any surprises?

When we recruit, we hope not to make mistakes. Then there are those who are precocious and those who leave at 20 years old. We thought that some like Charles Abi would break through but not necessarily that they would be launched so soon. After that, you need a coach who is not afraid of anything. With Claude Puel, this is the case …

“To be honest, I did not imagine Green in the doublet of ASSE in pro”

But if you had to give just one, who would it be? Etienne Green?

Him, it’s extraordinary. I do not consider him as a recruited player in training since he was already at the club before my arrival. In my day, he was far from the plans. He wasn’t even considered number 4! He benefited from incredible circumstances to climb the ranks between the complicated departure of Ruffier, the injury of Moulin, that of Bajic … To be honest, I did not imagine Green in the doublet of ASSE as a pro.

Do you have any regrets about profiles that you thought fit to break through at ASSE?

Could a little Dylan Chambost have succeeded at AS Saint-Etienne? Maybe … I would have liked. He won in Troyes and I’m happy. Allan Saint-Maximin? Given his talent, it’s a shame that ASSE did not take advantage of it more. After that, you can never do 100% in a club. The players have agents, parents … It’s complicated. Now I think there is still a ratio and that it is very positive in Saint-Etienne.

How do you explain that ASSE values ​​its defensive profiles (Zouma, Saliba, Fofana) better than its offensive talents? Did you hit the defenders more accurately than the scorers?

In all the Mercato, we realize that the professional clubs are snapping up the attackers. This is also true among young people where we had a lot of trouble fighting despite a few exceptions (Bamba, Saint-Maximin, etc.). Perhaps there was an investment to be made and at the time, we did not want it. With Gérard Fernandez, we especially recruited smart. Above all, we were working to convince families of the well-founded to come to Saint-Etienne.

Training file (1/4)

This week, Goal! Saint-Etienne was interested in the Puel project seen through the prism of the trainers who left the Green House. Every day a new interview. First part with Bernard David, former head of training at ASSE who has now returned to AJ Auxerre.

Alexandre corboz