To speak of a terrible season for Chambly is a no-brainer.
Before the trip to Guingamp on April 20, which did not reverse the trend with a conceded defeat in stoppage time (1-0), Bruno Luzi had said to his players: "We have lived through ten months of hardship but our last month can change everything.
It's up to us to force our destiny.
"
The Camblysiens tried well, as they will do again this Saturday (8 p.m.) against Nancy at the Pierre-Brisson stadium in Beauvais, on the occasion of the 35th day.
But the contrary elements left no respite to the Picards.
The Oisiens gave the impression of having several balls on their feet.
At least ten have been counted.
1. The Covid-19.
The health crisis affected all the clubs, but for Chambly, the bill was higher.
For two months, its workforce was decimated: up to ten positive players on February 13 for the match in Clermont (1-0).
"The English variant killed us," said Fulvio Luzi, the president.
2. The injuries.
Since the summer of 2020, Chambly has experienced a massacre.
It starts with Nikola Petkovic, top scorer in Serbian L 1.
Rupture of the cruciate ligaments of the right knee in August and an almost white season.
The three goalkeepers were all injured, forcing Planté (40) to put the gloves back on against Amiens on April 17 (2-0).
“I have never been able to line up my typical defense,” repeats Bruno Luzi.
Read also Chambly: the incredible comeback of Planté at 40
3. Evictions.
The Camblysiens panicked the counters. With 11 expulsions, often severe, the Picards saw red. Already tormented by injuries, Bruno Luzi constantly had to deal with the means at hand. In Valenciennes (2-1) on April 10, Chambly finished the match at 9 after the exits of Callegari and Guezoui. "We thought it was too easy at 11 against 11", quipped the Oisian coach.
4. Bad luck.
Over a season, they say, luck balances out.
Visibly Chambly departs from this rule.
We think of this defeat against Le Havre (0-1) in January, on a penalty that even Paul Le Guen, the coach of Le Havre, did not see.
Or this forgotten penalty, this time against Auxerre, which would have made it possible to snatch a draw instead of a defeat (0-1).
And this goal refused, we do not know why, in Valenciennes, synonymous with new defeat (2-1).
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5. A stage that is long overdue.
Fulvio Luzi knows it. Things would have been different if the Walter-Luzi stadium had been delivered, as planned, for the final months of the championship. Delayed by the health crisis, the work was stopped by the legal war between an ecological association and the municipality of Chambly. As a reminder, during his last season "at home", in the National, Chambly had aligned 11 wins for 5 draws and only one defeat against Dunkirk (1-2).
6. The games behind closed doors.
In its English-style stadium, Chambly can count on its loyal supporters.
“We have one of the best audiences in France,” assures Fulvio Luzi.
With them, players sometimes managed to knock down mountains.
Behind closed doors, the Picards have lost one of the assets that had been their strength for so many years.
Read also League 2: "I was no longer fulfilled," says Florian David, who terminated his contract with Chambly
7. Heavily affected finances.
Without TV rights, Chambly had to save a lot of money in order not to get into the red.
Suddenly, the players made all the trips by bus.
Worse, the club let go three elements during the last winter transfer window (Boubacari Doucouré, Florian David, Luka Susnjara) without taking a single one.
"With TV rights, we would have recruited," says the boss.
8. The lack of a training center.
Health crisis requires, the reserve team of FC Chambly was unable to train during the various confinements.
With the injuries and the Covid-19 crisis, the club would have been relieved to be able to count on its tank like any other Ligue 2 club.
Camblys coach Bruno Luzi (left) and his brother, Fulvio, the club president.
LP / Icon Sport / Johnny Fidelin
9. An unbalanced schedule.
It is a fact and Chambly can do nothing about it.
The first leg offers first a busy program against the big teams to end with more "affordable" matches.
Suddenly, the Camblysiens have twice embarked on handicap races.
On the first leg, they managed to straighten their heads, not on the way back, as they approach the last line where each point taken is worth so much.
10. Higher competition.
To maintain itself, the 40 point bar is often advanced. This season, it will probably be necessary to go beyond. "The championship is more homogeneous this season", analyzes Bruno Luzi. It is enough to see the difficulties encountered by Guingamp, Caen or Le Havre, to be convinced of this.