Posted on October 20, 2021 at 11:10 am by Th.B.
Having arrived with Claude Puel at ASSE, Xavier Thuilot, former general manager, assures that dismissing the coach of the Saint-Etienne club would be a big mistake on the part of the Greens.
Arrived just before a Rhone derby against OL in October 2019, Claude Puel celebrated his two years on the Stéphanois bench at the beginning of the month. However, the sporting situation is still just as delicate for the French technician who has yet to win a game since the resumption of Ligue 1 last August. The ASSE is at the last point of the standings, behind the Stade Brestois and the FC Metz . For some time now, his position has been discussed at Saint – Étienne , but as RMC Sport recently revealed, a change of coach would not be taken into consideration at the moment. within the leadership of the Greens. And for Xavier Thuilot , former CEO of ASSE, who arrived with Puel , it would make no sense to thank the technician.
“Given the situation: who would dare to come?”
“It's very complicated in these conditions to be efficient. And I want to say it, not only because he's my friend, but without Claude Puel it would be much worse! Today, getting out of a situation like this where you cannot invest in 4 mercatos in a row is a feat that will never be recognized at its fair value! The reality is that without someone of Claude's caliber and his experience of this kind of situation, the club might have already gone down to L2 or much worse. “. assured Xavier Thuilot during an interview with Poteaux-Carrés. The former director general of ASSE further explained that no one could even replace Claude Puel at the head of the workforce in such a precarious situation. “To me, his replacement would not make sense and I am not speaking as a friend but as a manager. Today, in this club, who are you replacing Claude Puel with? Who has more experience to take over? And given the situation: who would dare to come? Often, we replace the coach when we are at the end of a cycle and we feel that the coach is lacking in ideas or motivation. In these moments, you have lots of CVs! Today, apart from a few unemployed technicians ready to take the risk, given the complexity of the situation … Most of the technicians that I work with or that I have worked with will tell you that what is happening in Saint-Etienne is a miracle! Even if Sainté is 20th! Resist this pressure, build with these opposite scenarios, this permanent headwind … there is only someone like Claude! Me, I have known coaches who, in this situation, would have done everything to get fired, take their check and get out! “.