Nicolas Le Bellec: “I have the impression that we are already playing in a small National 3”

Nicolas Le Bellec packs up for a second season with his staff. Loris Simonet

Nicolas Le Bellec will manage 26 players this season, compared to 21 last year. Théo Delbreil

The start of the season is fast approaching for Gallia club Lunel (R1). Nicolas Le Bellec, coach of the first team, looks back on last season, while discussing the future. Interview.

Nicolas Le Bellec, what is your state of mind as you approach your 2nd season at the head of Gallia ?

The state of mind is the same as last year. I came for a project of several years. We took stock of the first season by emphasizing our shortcomings and trying to improve these aspects to be a little more competitive. We are still in a phase of building the club and we have to know how to take the time to do things.

You wanted to leave the sport after your time at Sète, what has changed with this club ?

I committed for several years with a real project. What I like here is that we are allowed to work. The club members are aware that there are steps to put things in place. What appealed to me was the attitude of the boys I have at my disposal. Last year, we had a very good first part of the championship and I rediscovered human values ​​that interest me. Here at Gallia, I have regained pleasure and I am in my element.

Your group has evolved this summer with eight recruits, are you satisfied with the transfer window ?

Yes, because with the sports director Pascal Martin, we have clearly targeted our shortcomings. Last year, we were all aware that our squad was dropping as the competition went on and that there was very little competition, the boys were a bit settled. We needed emulation to go even further. What interests me is the competitive spirit where the players give their all to earn their place. We are disrupting the dynamics, but that is intentional.

You want good group cohesion, how the new players have integrated into the squad ?

It was very easy because, first of all, they are boys who played in the region and who had already met our players. And then, we have a group that is extraordinary, capable of welcoming and putting the newcomers in the best conditions. A good osmosis emerged very quickly thanks in particular to a training course that we all did together at the beginning of August in Cantal.

The results of the pre-season preparation are three wins and two losses, what is your view of these past 5 weeks ?

I didn't want to relive last year's preparation where the program given to the players was not respected. This summer, the emphasis was placed on athletic condition in order to be ready to last over time. The desire was for everyone to have the same playing time. We saw that we were capable of scoring goals, but that we were conceding a lot of them. We must therefore rectify this problem, otherwise it will be difficult to hold on to a result. We need to get back to the basics of football and that's how we'll have a very interesting team while having fun.

During this preparation, you were disturbed by the injury of your goalkeeper Axel Réveille, how did you manage this situation ?

Which goes to show that sometimes you start with ideas, you have the impression that everything is in order and then, there you go, the big mishap happens. We thought of him first, he was the priority. We have another player, Johan Crespin, who should arrive this week and we will organize ourselves in due time. Nothing is written in football.

What are the objectives for this 2024-2025 season ?

This is only the 2nd year of a five-year project. We are in the same situation as a child who is starting to walk and who is not asked to run. We are building step by step, the R1 championship is very demanding, but there was little missing in 2023-2024 for us to move up. We want to compete with all the teams at the top of the table.

Promotion to the National League is something that is achievable?

I have the impression today that we are in National 3. When I see our group and the reform of the championships, it is as if we were in the 5th division. That is why I say that we must be much more demanding, the players as well as the staff, because we are playing in a small N3. The transition will happen when it has to happen. It's impossible to say that we're going to go up, but we're going to give ourselves the means to do so.

The championship starts on September 7, but first there's the Coupe de France, is it an important event??

The Coupe de France is a great collective adventure. The competitive spirit works for all matches. Last year we got knocked out quickly, we're gonna fight to get through each round.

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