Rolland Courbis is back on the sidelines but only at the helm of an amateur team in complete disarray. As part of a France 3 mini-series (available on France.tv), The heroes of the lawnthe untenable 72-year-old coach is called to the rescue of Olympique Noves, near Avignon. The team is bottom in the 4th division of the Grand Vaucluse district, with 74 goals conceded in 15 matches! “Coach Courbis” tries to give pleasure to the players again. Before even thinking about a tactical “move” of which he has the secret.
Asked by French Football Weeklythe very experienced coach (since 1986!) looks back on a decisive tactical choice which allowed him to win OM against the great Manchester United on October 19, 1999, in the group stage of the Champions League (1-0). The Phocaeans then faced the reigning European champion, masterfully managed by Alex Ferguson and led by Jaap Stam, the brothers Gary and Phil Neville, Roy Keane, Paul Scholes, David Beckham and Ryan Giggs!
To manage the cross calls of Dwight Yorke and Andy Cole, who made up the magnificent attacking duo of the Mancuniens, Rolland Courbis then swapped William Gallas and Eduardo Berizzo within the central hinge, placing the right-handed Gallas on the left axis and the left-handed Berizzo on the right axis, to allow them to be
“on their good closing foot” during the duels with the Englishman and the Trinidadian. Pierre Issa was established in front of the defense, “on sentry as they say today”.
Courbis: “good journalists, average and incompetent!” »
OM then produced a high-quality performance, thanks to the combativeness of Sébastien Pérez and Frédéric Brando and the technique of Peter Luccin, Stéphane Dalmat, Robert Pirès and Fabrizio Ravanelli, aligned at the forefront. But it was Gallas who broke the deadlock in the 69th minute in a delirious Vélodrome. The 22-year-old defender, future French international, made an angry climb, requesting a one-two with Dalmat to crucify Mark Bosnich from the right. “He found himself on the right foot because he is on the left”.
At the time, no one had highlighted the placements of Berizzo and Gallas, which prompts Courbis to tell us: “we talk about good and bad players, or average players, but I remind you that we can talk about good journalists, average journalists and incompetent ones! I'm sorry, but it's also to show that there are bad journalists. In addition to the victory, there was another feat: no journalist said that Rolland had scored a shot. It went completely unnoticed! Was it forbidden to see that? » A word to the wise.
