Pierrick Capelle (Angers): “Let us be worthy on the pitch”

Two days before the reception of Toulouse in Ligue 1, Pierrick Capelle, vice-captain of Angers, dead last in Ligue 1, appeared at a pre-match press conference. At SCO for eight seasons, the 35-year-old midfielder says he was “arrested” last Sunday by the talk of Abdel Bouhazama before the match against Montpellier (0-5). For having made inappropriate remarks, the technician was removed from office, Tuesday, the club appointing Alexandre Dujeux as interim coach. Focused on the field, Capelle appeals to the pride of its partners.

“Hot, after the defeat in Montpellier, you spoke of “shame”. Does this feeling still live with you?
We are in a very complicated situation, we know that. But there are 12 matches left. I had a chat with Alex (Dugames) and some others this morning. I said to the group:What do we do with the last 12 matches? Do we continue to be shamed on the pitch or do we react and show at some point that we are professionals? I hope that we will have a good reaction on Sunday.

You felt the need to remember…
…which is obvious to me. Indeed, we need to redo a big development so that we are exemplary on the ground. I’m not saying that we will succeed in winning these last 12 matches, or in doing the impossible. But let’s be dignified on the pitch. Lots of things are happening around us, but our job is on the pitch.

How did you react to Abdel Bouhazama’s pre-match chat Montpellier ?
I was arrested. Afterwards, these are things that come out of the context of the field. It has been sufficiently managed, told and explained, I will not make any further comment on that.

Is it easy to focus on football in this context?
No, it’s a certainty. But if we have our place here today with a professional contract, we must be able to manage this kind of situation, even if it is difficult sportingly. It’s a club where we used to be quite calm, where not necessarily much was happening outside, whether with the supporters or within the club. It is perhaps also part of the life of a footballer today to know how to manage all these emotions and to stay focused on his objective which is to be good at the weekend.

Eight years after your arrival in Angers, you may have trouble recognizing the club where you signed?
It has completely changed since my arrival in 2015. These are the vagaries of club history. Some have been in difficulty before us, others will be after us. It’s the life of football.

“It is normal for a supporter today to be angry, frustrated with everything that is happening”

How do you approach this match against Toulouse after everything that happened in Montpellier?
I emphasize this to the group: it is our pride, our status and our duty. It is a duty to be present on the field and to show that we have our place on a Ligue 1 field, that we are professionals. The message I have to pass on to the supporters who have known me for eight years that I have been here is that I will never let go of anything, I still have this slab in me. But it is normal that a supporter today is angry, frustrated with everything that is happening, with this whole season. It’s hard for everyone.

Assistant to Gérald Baticle, with whom he arrived in 2021, then to Abdel Bouhazama, Alexandre Dujeux will be on the bench on Sunday. What can it bring you?
He immediately tried to provide a framework and the requirement. At the beginning of the week, we put our finger on the lack of requirement, of concentration in training. He brought it back. We are fully behind him and we are with him. That’s the only way it will work. I said to the guys: “We play like we train. If you train badly during the week, at the weekend, you can’t hope to do anything.”

“You just have to wet the jersey”

This Angevin slab, we have the impression that it has disappeared a little this season…
This is our trademark in Angers. It’s not too much anymore, it’s a little bit forgotten. I think that each player must have a particular desire to give the maximum on the field. You just have to wet the jersey.

What is your objective against Toulouse?
Already find any other result than a defeat, and especially attitudes and a certain content in the fact of never letting go. It will be hard, we will have difficult times because we cannot settle everything in a week. But let’s hang on, let’s play at 11 already to give a little nod to PSG. They played 9 against Bayern, it can’t work. We have to be 11. We will miss things but we need a sacred union of this team, that we unite. »