"Like when I was a player": Djibril Cissé feels at home in Auxerre
Legends
At AJ Auxerre as the assistant to Christophe Pélissier, in charge of the forwards, club legend and former France striker Djibril Cissé spoke recently to l'Équipe about his role with the team, reflecting on their strong run of form.
A fighting spirit
Having joined the team in 2023 after having previously held the same role with Olympique de Marseille -- another former club -- Cissé, who is training towards his UEFA A license, has hardly been shy about making himself heard, "Just like when I was a player," the firebrand says. With 41 caps and nine goals for his country, as well as nearly one hundred for his boyhood club, Cissé is a true legend of the French game, and his involvement with and passion for Auxerre has been vital.
Last season, the eastern side won immediate promotion with the league's best attack, netting 72 times over the course of the season. Currently, only three teams in Ligue 1 McDonald's have scored more than Auxerre's 20 goals, underscoring that Cissé's talents for boosting his side's attack have translated well to the top flight.
Highly involved
"On Thursdays, I work with the team at the end of the session, on their movements, something which has translated into concrete success in the league. Speaking about his side's second goal scored against Rennes in a recent 4-0 win scored by Gaëtan Perrin, he expertly broke down the play "Theo Bair's run is part of this work, where I insist on the need to carry runs to open up spaces that favor passes. (On this same goal) Hamed Junior Traoré's pass, followed by Gaëtan's control and strike, that's a product of my work on Fridays." he said.
"We also take penalties by combining the fun side with the desire to win (Lassine Sinayoko converted one on Sunday). I then lead a real session in front of the goal, with four to eight players. I don't have them work on acrobatic shots but on chances that they will encounter in competition: balls in the area, showing control on the turn, or finished with one touch (like on Ado Onaiwu's goal against Rennes). Often, Armand (Zelisko, physical trainer) comes with a shield to push them around a bit."
As well as his involvement in tactical matters, Cissé has also provided plenty of moral support to his charges, notably winger Lasso Coulibaly, whose season is over after suffering a serious knee injury. "When I told him that I had been told that I was dead to football (double fractures of the tibia and fibula in 2004 and 2006) and that I played again both times six months later, I felt re-energized! In fact, I don't see myself as a coach, but as a "big brother", who teaches them tricks and passes on his experience to them."
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