ASSE has training in its blood. A club attached to its tradition of taking young Stéphanois to the top level through the first team early in their career, this heritage is reflected in the statistics vis-à-vis other European clubs. At a time when the loss of club identity is at the heart of some debates, the Greens remain true to their principles, but is it effective? Don’t they set a glass ceiling for themselves in terms of performance?
The CIES made public on Monday, a list to rank the best training clubs around the world. With 33 players trained at ASSE currently playing in Europe, the 10-time French champion club ranks 5th best club in Ligue 1 in the area behind Lyon, Paris, Rennes and Monaco. Saint-Étienne is also the6th European club that supplies the Big 5 teams the most. Only FC Barcelona and Real Madrid are ahead of the five French clubs mentioned. 16th in the CIES ranking of the training index, allowing the number of players to be weighted with the quality of the clubs in which they play, ASSE stands out as a better trainer than Manchester United, Benfica, Atlético de Madrid and Bayern Munich among others.
Training at the heart of the current project
In the professional workforce of ASSE, no less than ten players were directly trained at the club. This represents almost 40% of the professional group in its entirety. Aged 18 to 23, some even hold a position in the team like the Franco-Briton Étienne Green in goal at just 21, or Mahdi Camara, 23, a very talented midfielder.
This team built around its young people is maintained in the image of the entire project, by the coach of that team. Claude Puel is indeed known and recognized for give young people a chance and fully integrate them, without reservation of confidence. Management has already reiterated this strong choice to keep it for this very specific reason, among others:
I firmly believe that he is the right person to coach the Greens right now. His project represented the best possible alternative to move the club forward. Namely, to play and progress young people in order to help AS Saint-Étienne to build up new assets. Player development is its main philosophy, its raison d’être. In this we can only rejoice in the work accomplished.
Jean-François Soucasse – Executive Chairman of ASSE
A limit in terms of results?
If the club’s deep identity is respected with Puel at its head, the question of results arises. Arrived in 2019, the coach of the Greens led his at the 17th position in 2020, at the 11th place in 2021, for today, to rank 20th and last, truly in danger of relegation at the end of the season. After 11 disastrous days, the Stéphanois seem to have no solution and it doesn’t help young people to develop. The game project is missing, theconfidence is at its lowest and doubts remain game after game.
Young people who left too early?
When we observe this slow descent into hell near the Geoffroy-Guichard stadium, it is impossible not to think of the young talents who left recently of the club that shine today in other formations. Wesley Fofana, 20-year-old center-back in great shape with Leicester before suffering a serious injury at the start of the season, could he have been kept for another year? Could a loan have been negotiated to allow him to pass the baton in his progression? What about William Saliba, gone to Arsenal, passed through Nice and now Marseille, direct competitor of Ligue 1? These two files are distinct but ask questions about the purpose of training these young people which did not represent major opportunities thereafter.
A team lacking leaders?
The extreme youth of this team is obviously wanted and assumed. But wouldn’t that be a problem in managing a season, which requires calm and experience. The experience is now embodied by the only four in their thirties of the team: Timothée Kolodziejczak (30), Gabriel Silva (30), Ryad Boudebouz (31), and Wahbi Khazri (30). This lack of players accustomed to high level and long, sometimes difficult seasons, is there a problem for the club? The point is that this year the reaction does not come and the problems seem far from over.
So Claude Puel, kept for its philosophy of integrating young people and its complementarity with the Greens’ project, should it be replaced? Would a new coach allow a reorientation of the club’s policy, so as to allow him to to save himself in the short term despite his longer vision? The question will arise quickly, especially in terms of recruitment, where many experienced players will find themselves free from any contract on the transfer market and where there are plenty of opportunities. Ligue 2 would certainly not be attractive enough and the reaction must intervene quickly so as not to weaken this emblematic club of the French championship.