Laurent Chambertin, former captain of the French volleyball team, has converted to coaching in the world of sport or business. Holder of a master's degree in management and involved in the support of several teams and selections in recent years, he analyzes the negative cascade (injuries, untimely declarations, outings) that has beenfall the PSG for a week. The 53-year-old speaker points out a few ways to start again.
How to explain the dynamics of PSG after its defeat in Dortmund and the contrary events that accumulate?
LAURENT CHAMBERTIN . To do advice, you need to know a little more, be in immersion to detect the ins and outs. This is what I do every day in sport or in business. The successive events are recurrent signs, since last year, the one before, there were the same type of situations and consequences that emerged.
How to remedy the situation?
These signs must be identified to treat them. It would be daring to have certainties, but we can ask questions about management, internal communication. This is what seems to me the most worrying and the most significant in relation to this sequence of situations. The repetition of negative cases, injuries, is never harmless in times of tension. Situations must be debriefed, clarified and everyone's expectations revalidated, while refocusing on identity to gain more convictions. It is always the collective that takes the steps. From the outside, I have the impression that all of this is very fragile. There is a fragility in vision and identity, there is no cohesion.
Should we settle things internally or involve people from outside?
I am in favor of bringing in external stakeholders from time to time to give a fresh look, to breathe something in, to put the situation in perspective, to bring out tipping and danger signals. Next, it's a question of timing. At PSG, I remember the episode Yannick Noah in 1996 to prepare the deadline for the Cup Cup final.
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Can we change things in two weeks or should we put the problems aside and face up to Dortmund?
Both possibilities exist. I am in favor of not undergoing. To always be an actor of performance, actor of cohesion, communication, team management. The more you are in control of an active and positive communication that you have to recreate, the easier the turnaround is. If we suffer, we put it under the rug saying to ourselves: "We will do like this and if it goes well, so much the better", I don't think that is the right approach.
Should we stay positive or can muscular explanations be useful?
We must make the workforce accountable and resolve imbalances. If there are breaks, they must be adjusted to start again. I am in favor of total transparency. The innuendo and the unspoken are always harmful in a collective performance. The fewer there are, the better it is to put into perspective and find solutions. Then it's a question of duration. If the imbalances have been there for 6 months, it will not be easy to clarify them. If it's fresh, there's still time. I shared the adventure of 1995 with the Barjots ( Editor's note: the nickname of the French handball team ). At one point, the players had a feeling, they took the leadership and burst the abscess. I have experienced the same kind of situation in my playing career, where as long as we had not burst the abscess we were below what we should do.
Can celebrating or having lunch together like the players of PSG be a spring to unite the group?
It depends. If the approach is collective, this is a pretty good sign. Did they sit at the same table to say things or just to relax and do the stupid things? In the latter case, there is no interest, except that of decompressing. Partying does not send the message of empowerment in the face of the situation, however. You have to be clear on the right messages to send, but they are big boys.
How can the club put an end to false declarations and unwanted outings?
If the rules are not clearly defined at the start of the adventure, it is not obvious and it is logical that there are exits, drifts. If there has been non-compliance with the established rules, that is something else, there must be a sanction. There is no recipe for managing all the collectives, it is a model that makes him confront reality and validate together. It is normal that there is turbulence when so many deadlines are linked. Group life is human. It is also normal that there are cropping, but it must be done as quickly as possible to start again.
