Toulouse: Change of hardware, software still going strong!
Despite winning the Coupe de France and staying comfortably in Ligue 1 Uber Eats in their promotion season, Toulouse FC have replaced their hard drive with the departure of several key players and coach Philippe Montanier, who has been replaced by a coach with no experience at this level.
Since its takeover in 2020, when it had just been relegated to Ligue 2 BKT, TFC has relied on statistical data processing at every level. This method has paid off so far, with a rapid return to the elite by clinching the Ligue 2 BKT title in 2022, winning the Coupe de France and making judicious recruitments (van den Boomen, Dejaegere, Dallinga, Aboukhlal, etc.). This summer, however, the hardware apparently needed updating.
Switch it up
The first and most notable change was that of the coach, with the departure of Philippe Montanier, who had one year left on his contract. Toulouse chairman Damien Comolli explained that "all our indicators showed us that we had a team capable of finishing tenth or 11th. It's the first time since we've been at the club that we've underperformed". TFC finished 13th in the table last season.
He went on to highlight the upward curve in results since Montanier's successor, Spaniard Carles Martinez Novell, arrived on the banks of the Garonne river in December, initially as assistant coach.
"We're very adamant about the style of play we want to see, and Carles' footballing ideas are in line with what we want to put in place. He's going to go even further than what we've done so far," asserted President Comolli.
'Not a new cycle'
The inexperience of Martinez Novell, who had previously only coached youth teams in Spain (FC Barcelona, Espanyol) and in the Gulf States, inevitably raises questions. Especially as the 39-year-old Catalan is surrounded by even younger assistants - his compatriot Pol Garcia (32) and Jordan Galtier (34), son of Christophe Galtier - and will have to deal with a considerably turned-over squad.
Téfécé lost four key players in the off-season: Belgian captain Brecht Dejaegere, playmaker Branco van den Boomen, Dutch midfielder Stijn Spierings and goalkeeper Maxime Dupé.
Other departures cannot be ruled out between now and the end of the transfer window, which has once again been marked by the arrival of young foreigners who are still relatively unknown. The latest is Nicklas Schmidt. A 25-year-old German (a holding midfielder or playmaker) who joins two Spaniards, a Dutchman and a Venezuelan.
Not forgetting three players from Ligue 2 BKT, including the return on loan of Mamady Bangré (QRM) and Yanis Begraoui (Pau FC), who shone in the last warm-up match against Roma (2-1 win at the Stadium), the former setting up the winning goal for the latter, and the addition of striker Frank Magri from SC Bastia.
A Lafont-style trajectory for Guillaume Restes?
"Part of the team has to be rebuilt, but we mustn't forget that many of the players were already there last season," added Comolli. "We haven't broken anything. We're just looking to improve."
As proof of this, on the goalkeeping side, the club is betting on Guillaume Restes (18), born in Toulouse and a product of the club's youth system, to succeed Maxime Dupé, who stayed with the club for three seasons as number one. Having turned professional at the age of 16, the goalkeeper is now a U18 international after having been one at U17 level. It's a reminder of the early days of Alban Lafont, who was a first-team regular at the age of 16 and 309 days in Ligue 1 Uber Eats.
"It's not a new cycle because we're not changing the culture, and we're not changing the way we make decisions," insisted Comolli.
Europe beckons
However, this season will bring one big change for TFC: a place in the Europa League, thanks to their Coupe de France victory.
"Some people have told me that they want to host big teams at the Stadium," offered the Toulouse chairman. "But not me. I want the easiest possible group to go as far as possible."
What do the algorithms say?
Toulouse's next outing comes as PSG make the trip south to contest their Ligue 1 Uber Eats Round 2 fixture at the Stadium.
