The coach assures that he will remain mobilized until the end to send Arago to the playoffs. MIDI LIBRE – Jérôme Belluire
The three-year contract, which the Sète coach benefited from and which will end at the end of this season, has not been renewed by the Arago management. Luc Marquet gives his opinion.
The announcement was made to the players this Thursday, January 2. Due to a lack of satisfactory results, Alain Bilicki and his board of directors decided not to renew the contract that linked Arago to its coach.
The light sometimes, the shadow too often
After two and a half seasons at the head of the team, Luc Marquet is preparing to spend his last months on the bench of his favorite club. It must be said that his team has hardly helped him during this first part of the season. If, at times, the light has entered the ranks of Sète (victory in three sets against Poitiers, in five sets in Toulouse after being led 2-0), the inconsistency and the glaring lack of offensive efficiency have too often weighed down the atmosphere.
From the first match, against Tourcoing, the state of mind at the end of the match quickly caused concern. However, Arago then managed to get back on track to settle into the playoffs wagon. Alas, at the end of November, the questions were increasingly turning into certainties. The dry elimination in Saint-Jean-d’Illac (League B), upon entering the Coupe de France, left a considerable mark on people’s minds. And after that, the poor performances followed one after the other, sending Arago back to the quay, ninth and forced to watch the playoff train move away.
First disappointed
There is therefore a form of logic in the decision taken by the club. Which is not refuted by Luc Marquet: “I experienced this situation as a player for years, I experience it now as a coach. It's the rule of the game. And, we can turn the question around in any way, even if it has been decided by a small margin so far, the results are not up to expectations. When Alain Bilicki asked me what state of mind I was in, I immediately spoke to him of frustration. The team is too much on alternating current. We work hard during the week, but it doesn't translate on the field. I am the first to be disappointed with the results, so I understand. »
Now it remains to finish this 2024-2025 financial year in the best possible way. By finding, if possible, this consistency which is sorely lacking. “This season, the team can have two faces from one match to the next. Even from one set to the next. In Tourcoing, for example, we were ridiculous in the first set (Editor's note: lost 25-9 after being led 7-0, 14-2 then 21-6) before being strangely better afterwards. We can't understand what it's all about, these mood swings are inexplicable.”
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We're going to have to. Because if the Top 4 will remain a sweet dream, a place in the eight at the end of the regular phase is still possible. “That's the challenge that awaits us, to hang on to this sacred playoff zone” , continues Luc Marquet. “I find it hard to believe that we are not capable of it. And then, leaving by reaching the playoffs would be an honourable exit.”
Even if the next match, against Montpellier, risks being a bit of a shock, we should soon know how the players react on the pitch. “After the match in Tourcoing, the players kicked us out of the locker room and talked. What they said to each other is up to them. Afterwards, will the announcement of my departure cause something? I don't know. But they will also be judged on the result. Now, we've put some physicality and intensity back into training, we only have one match a week, so we can do it. »
If Luc Marquet believes that there is “no reason why the staff should not continue, and in particular Fred Gibert as director of the training center”, he has no plans for him at the moment. “Am I going to stay in volleyball? Maybe with the announcement, I will have some contacts. But I don't know what tomorrow will bring. An assistant position, or abroad, wouldn't bother me because I always prioritize the project and the context. In any case, I don't harbor any bitterness towards the club and I will remain mobilized until the end.”
The reaction of President Alain Bilicki
A decision had to be made and, accompanied by his board of directors, Alain Bilicki therefore informed his coach that the adventure would not go any further. « With Luc, we have a very good human relationship, but the results are not following. Last year, we finished ninth. And this year, it is not better even though the recruitment is successful. We have leaders, but the mayonnaise is not taking. »
The goal of the playoffs has not been abandoned, however. « If we had played at Barrou this season, we would have maybe three or four more points. We are having a really special season… But I remain optimistic for the playoffs. It will perhaps be a detonator for the group. »
For the Sète president, it is now time to find a successor to Luc Marquet. « Yes, especially since the recruitment period is about to begin. There may be financial difficulties in other clubs and we must not rush. But I think it was the right time. As for the coach, we do not have any contacts for the moment. But with this announcement, things will be unblocked. We will listen to the agents. But before that, we remain focused on building the budget for next season. »
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