Thanks to the victory of PSG in the final of the Coupe de la Ligue, Reims (5th in L1) will play the next Europa League. A relief for coach David Guion and his players, and a feat for the club, double finalist of the European Cup in 1956 and 1959 against Real Madrid, who had not tasted continental games since 1963.
There was no question of a big celebration at the Stade de Reims because of the departure to Belgium this Saturday at 7:30 am for a friendly match against Standard de Liège. “We watched the game all together with all the staff at the training center, after a little barbecue,” David Guion testifies. Everyone is very happy. "
The Stade de Reims will be European next season, which feeling dominates?
DAVID GUION. Simply, it is a great pride to put the Stade de Reims back on the European scene. I said when I arrived that Reims was a historic club, whose DNA is Europe. That this happens in the club's 90th anniversary year is symbolic. Between the young and the nostalgic, we can perhaps unite all of our supporters around this European Cup.
Does this European qualification seem legitimate to you or is it happening quickly for a Ligue 2 champion club in 2018?
This 5th place rewards our work over twenty-eight days. This season, we still won in the top three, without taking a goal. We only lost seven games. We finished best defense in Ligue 1 and reached the semi-finals of the Coupe de la Ligue. So, even if it is an opportunity, it is one of those you have to know how to seize.
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How are you going to reconcile the Europa League and the championship?
The preliminary rounds are played on dry matches, it will already be a little less heavy to manage. Either way, we will approach this with humility but with great ambition and respect. The return to the European scene, there is no question of overdoing it. We will undertake to honor our colors, the historic club that we represent.
Your workforce is young, does it show a certain lack of experience in the perspective of a European competition?
We do not have experienced players but that will allow the boys to grow up, to use these matches to progress. The idea is there: to continue to progress collectively and individually.
And for your transfer window, had you anticipated a possible European qualification or are additional recruits possible?
In all honesty, we didn't know what it was going to be. We didn't have any rework to do in terms of recruitment. There is already a fairly complete workforce. We will see at the end of the friendly matches if there are any sales. We are going to take a good look at whether there are any shortfalls in a given position and act accordingly, so as to be completely competitive for the deadlines that await us from September.
