His name almost seemed like an anomaly in the list of candidates for the bench of RC Lens, vice-champion of France last season and still in contention in the Champions League. It was said that the Sang-et-Or had among their targets their former technician Pierre Sage, one of the architects of the crazy epic of last season and recently released by the English club Crystal Palace, or even Walid Regragui, who had taken Morocco to the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup. But the position went, Friday, November 13, to Didier Digard, just fired by Le Havre, and moved from the depths of Ligue 1 to the Ligue des champions in just two weeks.
The news surprised everyone, to the point that the Artois club preferred to step up to the plate from its press release formalizing the signing of its new coach. “This choice is that of a united club, faithful to its values and fully focused on its sporting project, explained the Racing Club of Lens. In an environment where external comments, sometimes apparently unanimous, have been able to nourish certain stories far from the reality of the reflections carried out internally, Racing recalls that its decisions are constructed from observable facts, an in-depth analysis of the profiles studied and convictions.”
Didier Digard arrives as the third coach used after only ten days of the championship, but results far from those expected. The Sang-et-Or are only 11th in Ligue 1, and have suffered several slaps, from the historic defeat in C1 against Como (1-9) to the setback at the hated neighbor Lille (0-1). The situation is tense, but anything but desperate this early in the season, seven points off the podium, and with a talented squad still sixth in the elite attack.
The hypothesis of Digard arriving as a firefighter on duty does not hold, any more than his contract seems to indicate, which runs until the end of the following season (June 2028). RC Lens is clear, the time has come for recovery and construction, not just to put out a fire. The club highlights “its ability to unite, to advance groups and obtain results in complex situations”, or even “its qualities as a builder”. These had until then come up against the financial limits of Le Havre, where its playing principles were attractive for two seasons before not bearing fruit since the start of the season: no victory and only two points gleaned in ten matches.
Here is now the 40-year-old former midfielder at the helm of one of the historic clubs of French football, with among his next meetings shocks against Manchester City or Liverpool in the Champions League. It is no longer a leap forward, it is a real change in dimension. And this is unheard of in France.
Ligue 1 has only known one similar, and quite singular, precedent, that of Leonardo Jardim with Monaco in 2018-2019. The Portuguese was dismissed on October 11 while the Principality club is a surprising 18th, although qualified for the Champions League. The interim of Thierry Henry had not been conclusive with an elimination in the group stage of the C1 and only one point obtained in six matches. Jardim was recalled at the end of January, saving the Monegasque team (17th) at the last minute but without playing again on the European scene.
The German Peter Stöger had experienced a very similar situation in the Bundesliga. Sacked by Cologne after a failed start to the 2017-2018 season (two points after 14 days on December 3), he joined Dortmund seven days later. But Borussia had just been eliminated from the Champions League, and Stöger had only managed BvB in the Europa League.
The only case “à la” Didier Digard, that of Juande Ramos. The Spanish coach was released from Tottenham on October 26, 2008 after only eight days of the championship and the same record as that of Le Havre de Digard: two points and last place in the Premier League. This did not discourage Real Madrid from hiring him the following December 10. The operation had for a time borne fruit with eighteen league matches without defeat before a much more mixed result: a monumental slap at home against FC Barcelona (2-6) to see the Liga title slip away, a scathing elimination in the round of 16 of the Champions League (0-5 overall) and a contract not renewed. It's up to Didier Digard to write a story that will be more favorable to him.
