2 months ago
There is 1 video that is connected repetition connected nan Nantes players’ phones: Lucie Calba’s extremity successful past weekend’s 3-0 triumph against Strasbourg, an exceptional transition of play successful which 8 players touched nan shot to move it up nan full transportation successful conscionable 18 seconds. “It’s very satisfying because we’re capable to reproduce everything we activity connected successful training successful matches,” says Camille Robillard, nan team’s No 10 and a merchandise of nan club’s academy, intelligibly fascinated by nan extremity getting truthful overmuch attention. A extremity “in nan Nantes style,” referring to nan men’s squad of nan 1990s, known for their attacking, fluid play and changeless movement.
The extremity is nan consequence of a accuracy championed by Nicolas Chabot, caput coach of nan women’s squad since nan 2022-23 season. The 31-year-old says he has ever believed successful “a style of shot based connected combinations and teamwork, wherever method and strategies travel earlier athleticism”.
Chabot has enjoyed tremendous occurrence since taking over: contiguous promotion from Seconde Ligue to Première Ligue followed by a very respectable seventh-place decorativeness successful their first play successful nan apical flight. This play they person outdone themselves again, sitting 2nd successful nan apical formation down OL Lyonnes, though that is partially to do pinch a nine-point punishment handed to Paris St-Germain for a paperwork error.
At nan commencement of nan season, nan extremity was simply to amended connected past year’s effort and to break into nan apical six. “We tried to build connected nan value players we already had: those pinch immoderate acquisition successful D1 and enlistee profiles that fitted together some connected and disconnected nan pitch,” says Chabot, who has often changed astir 50% of nan playing unit successful nan summer.
Nantes’ occurrence – and playing style – has helped pull players specified arsenic nan 2 Morocco internationals, Imane Saoud and Melissa Bethi, arsenic good arsenic France world Léa Khelifi and Calba, a France Under-23 world who impressed during a six-month spell astatine Reims past season. “Given our situation, we couldn’t spend to motion players already performing astatine nan highest level,” adds Chabot, who is besides nan club’s sporting director.
Another subordinate who has impressed since joining is Mariam Toloba, a Belgian world from Standard Liège who scored against Spain successful nan Nations League successful February 2025. She recalls being contacted by nan Nantes coach … connected Instagram: “I didn’t cognize overmuch astir Nantes, but I knew Moses Simon, who played present for nan men’s team,” she says. “I’d besides played futsal tournaments present before. Moses Simon told me, ‘Why don’t you travel play for Nantes? The women’s squad is good.’ About a period later, Nico messaged maine connected Instagram. He showed maine videos … The unit had existent ambitions and truthful did I. The club’s accuracy really appealed to me.”
Chabot says he is fortunate to beryllium “the coach, manager, sporting head … everything” arsenic he negotiates pinch nan nine board for immoderate other backing to organise a astonishment for his players. “If things don’t work, it’s connected you; and erstwhile they do, it’s besides your decisions. With nan staff, we’re doing nan activity of 15 people. I’ve mislaid a fewer years of my life complete it,” he says pinch a smile.
The women’s conception of nan nine consists of astir a twelve staff. Financially nan spread to different teams successful nan section is enormous. “One subordinate astatine Lyonnes earns astir nan aforesaid arsenic 21 players do here,” notes Chabot. Nantes salaries scope from €2,200 to €4,600 earlier tax, acold from apical European standards.
The women’s squad still run retired of impermanent buildings: nan offices, nan cafeteria, nan video room, nan changing rooms … everything has been group up quickly to meet nan needs of a squad whose results are progressing faster than immoderate investment. “Right now, we’re adjacent to nan maximum of what we tin do pinch our existent facilities. There person been improvements to nan main workout room, gym and eating area and we person somewhat amended entree to writer pitches than past season, though it’s still not enough,” says nan coach, whose squad trained doubly connected writer past week and changed location 4 times.
But nan Nantes players person different strengths. As they decorativeness their lunch, pasta pinch chickenhearted aliases fish, Bethi takes power of nan cafeteria TV and plays Réfléchir by Wejdene, a French singer. It is sung successful unison by nan younger and nan older players while nan unit look astatine their notes earlier nan day session. “You see: that’s why it works!” laughs nan captain, Maureen Cosson. Signed successful 2023 to play successful D3, she is now surviving a dream astatine her puerility club.
“I deliberation nan concealed of FC Nantes is everything we put successful daily: we train a lot, we afloat bargain into nan playing accuracy … and we don’t return ourselves excessively seriously,” she says. “We’re ever laughing, keeping things light. We play for illustration friends, that’s our strength.”
Chabot has made “being bold” cardinal words successful his pre-match talks and it has paid off. Some players person been conscionable that from nan very commencement of nan season, contempt it being only Nantes’ 2nd twelvemonth successful nan apical flight. “Some were already talking astir Europe backmost past and we, nan older players, told them, ‘You’ll see, it’s tough’,” says Cosson. “We laughed astir it, but now we’re fighting for those spots.”
With 4 matches remaining Nantes are 2nd pinch 36 points, level pinch Paris FC and 1 up of PSG. They are good positioned to decorativeness successful nan apical 4 and suffice for nan playoffs. A second– aliases third-place decorativeness would mean qualification for nan Champions League. “When you watch america play, we don’t person to hide – we’re playing shot astatine nan level of teams for illustration Lyon aliases PSG,” says Toloba. Chabot adds: “It costs thing to dream astir Europe, because factually, we’re successful nan race, and a playoff spot would beryllium nan minimum reward for nan activity done.”
The men’s squad are astatine consequence of being relegated, which could person an effect connected nan fund for nan women’s team, but they are focused connected this season, pinch a cardinal lucifer astatine La Beaujoire, nan club’s iconic stadium, against PSG adjacent Saturday. They person already surgery their ain attendance erstwhile this play (17,491 against Marseille, nan sixth-best successful nan convention this season) and expect much than 13,000 for nan PSG game.
It is nan cleanable shape to effort to propulsion disconnected an upset against a awesome rival successful nan title for Europe. “La Beaujoire is wherever thing tin hap successful our story. Every clip we’ve played here, thing typical has happened,” says Chabot, who knowledgeable nan women’s historical first lucifer astatine nan stadium past season, besides against PSG.
Since then, nan women’s conception has grown successful stature. “We consciousness much and much considered astatine nan club, but besides connected nan outside,” says Cosson. “People extremity america successful nan street, travel our results.” And Chabot concludes: “We don’t realise everything we are achieving from nan wrong … this mini group of girls is leaving a imperishable people connected nan club’s history.”
Get successful touch
If you person immoderate questions aliases comments astir immoderate of our newsletters please email [email protected].
-
This is an extract from our free email astir women’s football, Moving nan Goalposts. To get nan afloat edition, visit this page and travel nan instructions. Moving nan Goalposts is delivered to your inboxes each Tuesday and Thursday.
