Football: Olivier Dall’Oglio plays his future at Saint-Etienne against Rodez during the play-off

Olivier Dall’Oglio doit trouver les moyens de remobiliser ses troupes, pour atteindre son objectif. MAXPPP – Thierry Larret

L’ex-entraîneur de Montpellier fait l’unanimité chez les Verts. Mais son futur passe par une montée en L1 et donc un succès contre Rodez, vendredi.

Last Thursday, Olivier Dall’Oglio celebrated his 60th birthday. His players did not offer him a promotion to Ligue 1 the next day, since Saint-Étienne, beaten at Quevilly-Rouen (2-1), finished 3rd in Ligue 2 and must go through the play-offs to hope find the elite. A first division that the Alesian by birth left in October 2022, dismissed from Montpellier, for lack of results with a record of 18 victories, 7 draws, 27 defeats, all competitions combined.

Since then, the coach who also passed through Dijon and Brest had not found a bench, until the call from the Stéphanois last December to replace Laurent Battles. "Everyone agrees that’in fact, they should have changed before", testifies Olivier Guichard, head of sports for the city to the newspaper Progress. ASSE is then 8th with 14 points behind Angers, at the top of L2 at that time. His arrival, after a month of trial and error, will boost the Greens. "He mobilized the guys well, he found leaders. Monconduit was in the cellar and he made a holder again. He had a good speech and found the words by starting with simple things", explains the journalist.

Ten successes in 12 matches

Tactically too, he sets up a 4-1-4-1 with false-footed wingers. The winter transfer window, with the arrival of Irvin Cardona and the return of Yvan Maçon, also helps the former director of the Nîmes training center to install his method.
Then there was another downturn with two defeats in February, including one at Dunkirk (1-0).

"He left the players alone in front of the video of the match. Basically, look at the m… that you did", says the Greens follower. This decision was a trigger and the Dall’Oglio players went on to ten victories in twelve matches, which brought them to 3rd place. Then in a position of accession following the draw at Guingamp (2-2) while “Sainté” led by two goals. Same scenario against… Rodez (1-1).

"It hurt them. They gave so much before, to come back. There is mental weariness. They thought they arrived too quickly", thinks Olivier Guichard. To the point that the Saint-Etienne coach lost his temper, as he rarely does. That's not the boy's style."

This did not bear fruit, since Saint-Étienne, paralyzed by the challenge, therefore lost its last match, at Quevilly, and must go through the play-offs, if it wants to find League 1.

A renewal of his contract in the event of promotion to Ligue 1

A challenge for the club and for its coach, whose future is conditioned by this rise since his contract will be automatically renewed in the event of accession. If it fails, what about its future, knowing that the club is in the process of being bought by new shareholders, the Canadian group Kilmer Sports Ventures, based in Toronto and specializing in investment in world of sport and media ?

If it is said that the current managers, Loïc Perrin and Jean-François Soucasse, who brought in Olivier Dall’Oglio, could still stay, the new owners could also bring their men…
He therefore has his destiny in hand, from Friday against Rodez.

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