no change of trainer in mid-November, a first for ten years

If the coach’s waltz has started in other European championships (especially in the Premier League), no Ligue 1 club has (yet?) Thanked its coach, a third of the 2021-2022 season. A small event.

Steve Bruce in Newcastle, Nuno Espirito Santo in Tottenham, Dean Smith in Aston Villa, Eusebio Di Francesco in Hellas Verona, Davide Ballardini in Genoa, Mark van Bommel in Wolfsburg, Michel in Getafe, Ronald Koeman in Barça … 2021-2022 season, the major European championships have already seen one, two, and even up to five changes of coaches. Because the beginning of the year was disappointing, because the clubs decided to take a « new direction », and also because the international truces facilitate the waltz of the technicians. But in Ligue 1, nothing.

On November 11, after 13 contested days, the 20 coaches present for the opening of the ball on August 6 are still in place. Some are hot, of course, but they hang on. Even Claude Puel, whose departure from Saint-Etienne (19th) had been mentioned, has been reinforced in recent days in his functions by the executive president Jean-François Soucasse.

In 2011, Eric Roy had « held » until November 15

Have the leaders of the French clubs gained patience? Do financial problems encourage them to continue? There are many explanations, but the observation is the same: it has been ten years since any Ligue 1 club had fired its coach in mid-November.

To find such a scenario, we must indeed go back to the 2011-2012 season. After a start of the year where the French clubs had been « indulgent » with the coaches, Nice had finally cracked on November 15 (after the 13th day), thanking Eric Roy.

Already two changes last year, and four in 2018

At the same date, in recent years, two, three or even four technicians had already been transferred to the elite. In 2020-2021, Vincent Hognon (Metz) left office on October 12, before Stéphane Jobard was sacked by Dijon on November 5. In 2019-2020, Ghislain Printant was fired from Saint-Etienne on October 4, Sylvinho from OL on the 7th, and Alain Casanova left Toulouse on the 10th. In 2018-2019, Bordeaux had dismissed Gustavo Poyet from … August 17. Miguel Cardoso (Nantes), Leonardo Jardim (Monaco) and Antoine Kombouaré (Guingamp) then left before mid-November.

But the « record » (once the championship has started) obviously belongs to Marcelo Bielsa. On August 8, 2015, the Argentine resigned from OM on the evening of the first day, after a defeat against Caen (1-0). Forever the first.