Where to set the bar for Rodez? After the very good season of the players of the Aveyron, how to continue to progress and achieve a great season again. In a team remained stable in the offseason, Rodez wants to continue to look up, and reduce the gap that separates them from the best teams of D1.

Rodez has changed dimension. Last year, the RAF's good performance was rewarded with honors that especially rewarded coach Sébastien Joseph, who led Rodez to a fine fifth place (52 points), the best result of the club since joining the D1 in 2010. , not forgetting a semi-final in the Coupe de France.

These good results had a first effect, beyond the accolades of circumstance. In its recruitment, the RAF could go looking for players who would not necessarily come to Rodez a few years ago: Océane Daniel and Cathy Couturier from PSG, OL's Élise Bonnet. With Angeline da Costa, the arrival of the neighbor Albi, she represents the type of players that Sébastien Joseph wanted to recruit in his workforce. Young players who correspond to "profiles with high potential" for the Aveyron coach.

Sébastien Joseph, the coach of Rodez Aveyron Football

Among the selection criteria, the fact of being passed by "big clubs" in this case Lyon or the PSG, or by the France Pole in Clairefontaine for Angeline da Costa and Elise Bonnet. It is also "the experience of France youth team", like Angeline da Costa who knew the blue jersey in U16 and U17 but especially Cathy Couturier who arrives at the RAF with a title of champion of Europe won this summer with the French U19s.

Strengthen a quality workforce
Young players who join a group where Sebastien Joseph is happy to have been able to "keep the spine" with players like Déborah Garcia in goal, Manon Alard, Solène Barbance, Audrey Cugat ... who now have some "Experience". The good results of Rodez therefore allow for the moment to densify his group. A staff that the coach of Rodez considered "already homogeneous" last year, and which he says is "even more this year."

A quality that goes with a good atmosphere within a "group [that] lives very well" and "extremely welded". A "group cohesion" that the staff has sought to strengthen again during this preparation.

Solene Barbance in the victory of Rodez (2-0) against Guingamp last season.

The only sector that preoccupied Sébastien Joseph in preparation for this season was central defense. Last year, he had to do without Anne-Sophie Ginestet, winner of the Universiade in South Korea but also injured and who missed the season with the RAF. An area where the coach felt that his staff was right behind the two holders, Marine Haupais and Manon Alard.

This summer, the departure of Marine Haupais towards Montpellier was a surprise for the staff of Rodez who had "enough time to turn around". But in the end, Sebastien Joseph seems quite confident about the state of his defense. First with the return of Anne-Sophie Ginestet in the group and the arrival of Océane Daniel tipped initially to replace Manon Alard, announced starting but finally remained at the club this summer. A zero-sum equation in some way with the RAF losing its captain but has players capable of assuming the work provided by Marine Haupais in the axis.

Only downside, the "small boos" that have touched some players during the preparation and including Daniel Océane who should not be immediately operational to start in the eleven Ruthenian.

"A mid-range ambition"
Sébastien Joseph knows that it will be difficult for Rodez to go higher than fifth place this season. In this perspective, the objectives of his team are built in "a logic of points [rather] than ranking." Like last year, being able to take the most against the teams of bottom of table but also why not hang the teams of the "top 4" who did not necessarily succeed in Rodez last season in the league.

Montpellier, one of those "top 4" teams against whom Rodez hopes to do better than resist

To achieve his goals, Sebastien Joseph was able to rely during this preparation on the help of the U19 coach came to support him for training but also on Tom Bouvier, new physical trainer of the team. Arrived this summer, he was able to work with the players on "individual sessions" and thus participate in this desire of the coach "to go much further in the work" based on the experience gained by the group. A situation that contrasts with last year when Sebastien Joseph had felt "a little alone" in the management of the group during preparation.

As the RAF is aware, the team will "have to perform right now" and especially opening on the field of Saint-Etienne. But Sébastien Joseph is aware that the team still needs to take "the time to work" and not suffer the pressure of results. Sometimes even accept to lose matches if it does not prevent the team to progress in terms of the game but also (paradoxically) in terms of accounting ...