Team Focus: Caen Flying High in Ligue 1’s Season of the Underdog

Habitually, the post-match treadmill for a head coach is meticulously planned. Back to the dressing room for an initial debrief with the players, then it’s onto the main press conference with waiting journalists. The television cameras get their footage either before or after, before the away team hot-foot it onto the team bus, which has its engine already running. There is rarely a second to spare.  

So it was a rare moment of decompression as Caen boss Patrice Garande stood in the car park at Reims’ Stade Auguste Delaune after Saturday night’s match, enjoying a relaxing cigar and chatting on his telephone before sauntering back inside to resume media duties. It was a well-deserved break.  

You could say it was also a perfect illustration of a man comfortable in his own skin. The 54-year-old is, you see, a man with a clear plan. Like Angers, discussed in this column earlier this month, there is no accident about Caen occupying a spot in the top three, even if the pair’s positions in the table owe something to the struggles of big hitters like Lyon, Monaco and Marseille.  

Garande knows his subject well, having a connection with Caen going back decades. He originally arrived at the Michel d’Ornano as assistant to Pierre Mankowski in 1995 and though he left in 1998, has been at the club for 10 years now, taking the top job in 2012 after Franck Dumas’ departure. He has been a resounding success, but Caen’s recent form has outstripped all expectations.  

Saturday’s victory at Reims, which was only by a 1-0 scoreline but could easily have been more, was a seventh of the season already in only 10 games. It was a landmark of sorts too, taking Caen’s points total for 2015 over the threshold of 50. Only Paris Saint-Germain (71), Monaco (53), Lyon and Saint Etienne (both 52) have taken more points in Ligue 1 this calendar year than Garande’s team.  

At last season’s winter break, Caen looked sunk, with just 15 points to their credit. They went on to win another 31 after Christmas, incorporating a draw at the Parc des Princes, a comeback win at Marseille’s Stade Vélodrome and - best of all - a 3-0 hammering of Lyon that finally put paid to the lingering title hopes of Hubert Fournier’s side.  

Under Garande, Caen are typically strong finishers, going back to the12-match unbeaten run between March and May in 2014 which helped to seal promotion back to the top flight. It is with this in mind that nobody at the club is getting carried away with their current good fortunes. As defender Alaeddine Yahia pointed out in an interview with L’Equipe last week, it’s over 20 years since the club spent three consecutive seasons in the top flight. That’s the aim, first and foremost.  

On current form, it should be a breeze. Caen are superbly organised by Garande, and direct yet entertaining. They are set to be hard to break down, and apart from the 4-0 defeat by Lyon - which looks more of a one-off as time goes by - they have conceded just 6 in 9 games. In terms of a defensive block, Caen are all about the collective, which has allowed them continuity despite the disruption of suspensions, with 3 red cards already this season. 

They have a level of control over games not reliant on territorial domination. “There can’t be many teams in the league who have less possession than us,” Yahia observed after the game. He’s right - Caen have had 41.1% of the ball on average this season, less than every other team in Ligue 1. They have the lowest rate of pass success too (69.7%). It is safe to say that their strengths - and their intentions - lie elsewhere. 

Only Bordeaux (22.5) win more aerial duels per game than the team from Normandy (22.1). Once Caen win the ball, they can break at pace, propelled by Andy Delort’s speed and the passes of Julien Féret. They make the most of the ball when they have it, too, typically having 5.5 shots on target per match. Only PSG (6.4) manage more.  

This reputation is clearly spreading. If we look at WhoScored’s player average position map, we can see that seven of Reims’ players took up a typical position inside their own half on Saturday. It’s an unusual trait for a home side, and even more so for a team enjoying almost two-thirds of possession in the match. Despite exercising considerable caution, Reims conceded the winner to a counter-attack, led by Delort. 

The former Tours man has been excellent since arriving - he is Caen’s outstanding performer this season to date, with an average rating of 7.51. His assist for Féret’s winner was sublime. Having burst clear of the defence, he held the ball up when many strikers would have shot, waiting for the right time to pick out the arriving Féret, who was presented with an easy finish. 

Still working his way into his maiden top-flight season, Delort showed no anxiety about making a name for himself - he has 3 goals so far, but with an average of 4.6 shots per game - the third most in Ligue 1 this season - it could easily have been more. The 24-year-old is truly a team player, at the service of the collective. 

Garande must take some of the credit for that, in creating an atmosphere where everyone feels valued yet also makes themselves subservient to the big picture. His experience shines through in his reaction to Caen’s defeats - he thanked Lyon for being so ruthless with his team, and reminding them to keep their intensity high for 90 minutes, and referred to the recent lost to Lorient as “a lesson”. It looks like Garande and Caen will be handing out plenty of lessons of their own as this season progresses.

Do you think Caen can maintain their excellent start to the season? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below