Appointed on Monday as coach of Difaâ Hassani El Jadidi, Abderrahim Talib has the mission of ensuring the club's stay in the first division. A mission that promises to be difficult, given the current situation of the club, but which does not scare the former coach of Renaissance de Berkane.
Le Matin: why did you accept to take charge of Difaâ, a team that practically has one foot in the second division?
Abderrahim Talib: I accepted to take up this challenge because I have a very special relationship with this club, the city and its supporters. I managed to raise the club to the first division in 2006. I would have liked to be contacted during the winter transfer window, that way I would have had the time to make the necessary recruitments, but the club preferred to give more of a chance to the former coach. Unfortunately, it didn't work, for lack of luck. I have 15 days to prepare the team for the next match, since we are not playing on Sunday, due to the WAC's engagement on the African scene. I therefore have 15 days to provoke the mental click. It is not an impossible mission, but it is very difficult. I have already experienced worse experiences than this one, with Widad de Fez and with Renaissance de Berkane. Each time, I managed to get out of the game. I am sure that I will also succeed with Difaâ, given the status of the team and its squad. I am in a club that I already know, since I coached it in 2006. I know the steering committee, the city and the public.
Have you already identified the club's problems after leading two training sessions?
The club has a psychological problem. One defeat leads to another. We already started this morning (Editor's note: Wednesday) with psychological and physical sessions to get the players back in the saddle. The squad is good. It is enough to work with the players to provoke the click.
From what we have seen in a few matches, some players do not seem to be at their physical peak, what are you going to do to overcome these shortcomings?
We are going to exploit the 15 days that separate us from the next match to try to remedy the physical shortcomings of some players by fielding them on Sunday against Wydad in the reserve championship. I will also schedule three friendly matches to give playing time to some players. We have a quality group with players like Hadraf, Nanah, Laâroussi, Bamaâmar... It is enough to put everyone in confidence. There are people who are already sending us to the second division, while there are 13 matches left. It is still playable. We need 20 points to stay up out of 39 still in play. If we don't manage to get them, then we deserve to be relegated.
Have you kept the same staff that was already working with Jamal Sellami?
With the exception of Youssef Sefri, who resigned before my arrival, I kept Ayoub Lama, the goalkeeping coach, and Draâoui is still the physical trainer. I just brought in Osman, because we had succeeded together in the club's promotion in 2006.
What is the duration of the contract you signed with the club and the objectives to be achieved?
I have a double objective: first, to save the team this year, then I will take care of the integration of young people into the first team next season. I signed a six-month contract, renewable for two years, in case of staying up. I preferred this option so as not to have too much pressure.
