A controlled revolution. A little over a year ago, Chartres, Proligue champion, validated his return to Lidl Starligue, three years after his one and only season at this level, which ended in relegation. A failure that the Eurelian leaders wanted at all costs to avoid repeating. The latter have therefore, not without clashes, chosen to revolutionize their workforce, with no less than eight arrivals, in addition to that of a new coach, Toni Gerona. At the head of a cosmopolitan workforce (13 nationalities), the Spanish coach quickly got to work … but had to be patient to reap the fruits of his labor.
„Our last season is quite easy to read, decrypts the technician. We had a very difficult start to the season, with a lot of new players, a new coach, but also a lot of injuries. We needed time to make the things as they should. “ Eleventh at the truce thanks to victories against direct competitors, the Chartres collective then seemed to gain momentum from February. „The team was playing really well, and we qualified for the semi-final of the Coupe de France, a great first for the club. We finished tenth, and we could even have finished seventh without losing not our last game at home, against Créteil. In the end, it’s a more than correct season , „ notes Gerona.
A maintenance … or more?
In this context, the club has chosen to bet on continuity, with only two recruits, the back Lukas Urban and the pivot Denis Vasilev (still blocked in Russia for visa problems, note). „There is also the return of Vasja Furlan and Sergiy Onufriyenko, who were injured most of the last season, adds the Spanish coach. But they are already in the group dynamic and their integration is very easy.“ The only downside is the serious injury of Morten Vium , third top scorer for Lidl Starligue last season. „We had chosen the option of leaving with only one right winger. It is therefore unfortunate for us, regrets the coach.We are currently studying the various options available to us to replace it. Nothing is stopped yet. „
In the meantime, Toni Gerona has set the course for his players. „The number 1 objective is to maintain it. But I think we can be more ambitious. You have to put your mind to the matches we played during the months of February and March. C ‘is the image that we will have to show from the start of the championship, concludes the technician, who takes advantage of a stable group to advance more quickly in the construction of his team. I also tried to improve my French, and it’s easier. (smile) For the rest, we already have eight months of work behind us, and it shows. The players have their habits and we are much better than a year ago. “ The calm after the storm…
