Sarah M’Barek : « Tourner une page »

Pour sa 4e année à la tête de la section féminine, Sarah M’Barek nous dévoile ses ambitions pour cette saison qui débute ce dimanche à 15h face au PSG (Terrain de Grammont N°7, entrée gratuite)

L’équipe a-t-elle eu du mal à digérer son élimination européenne concédée dans les dernières secondes face à Umea ?
C’est à partir de là que la saison s’est compliquée. Ensuite, il a fallu gérer les méformes, les blessures, les petits soucis qu’il peut y avoir dans un groupe. La déception est tellement importante que le moindre souci est amplifié. Même pour moi, cela a été difficile de relever la tête. Je pense avoir donné le bon exemple au groupe en ne voulant rien lâcher jusqu’au bout, mais on ne peut pas demander des choses impossibles à des joueuses qui ont enchainé deux saisons puisque nous n’avons eu que 4 jours de vacances entre la saison 2008-2009 et le tour préliminaire de la Ligue des Champions l’été dernier. La coupe d’Europe a permis de juger nos limites, de nous surpasser, de donner une bonne image. J’en garde de bons souvenirs.

Quel a été votre axe de recrutement ?
J’avais besoin de recruter des filles que j’avais choisies et que j’estimais capables de relever des défis ; des filles qui avaient faim, qui savent d’où elles viennent et qui ont des ambitions. Le club m’a donné les moyens de constituer un bon groupe et je suis satisfaite de ce que j’ai vu lors des matchs de préparation. J’aborde cette saison sereinement avec l’objectif de nous concentrer sur le championnat et la volonté de tout gagner et de, pourquoi pas, viser le titre.

Vous avez aussi recruté une Japonaise, la 1ère joueuse étrangère de l’histoire du club en la personne de Rumi Utsugi…
Je voulais une gauchère capable d’équilibrer notre milieu de terrain car notre jeu penchait à droite. Rumi est à la hauteur de ce que j’attends c’est une bonne recrue. Le Japon est reconnu pour sa discipline et Rumi nous en apporte beaucoup dans le vestiaire et sur le terrain. Elle nous emmène un élan supplémentaire, une culture différente. Cela nous permet aussi d’être pris plus au sérieux par nos adversaires. Avoir une étrangère dans son effectif, ce n’est pas n’importe quoi ! Par son expérience elle nous aide à avancer. Sportivement et humainement c’est positif.

Globalement, quel regard portez-vous sur votre effectif ?
La colonne vertébrale de l’équipe est solide et expérimentée. Autour, nous avons des jeunes joueuses de qualité. Il y a tout pour réussir. Maintenant, on doit retrouver le plaisir de jouer, chose que nous avions un peu perdu l’an passé, et l’envie d’aller vers l’avant. La Ligue des Champions nous a imposé une culture du résultat qui nous a parfois fait oublier de jouer. Nous avons un collectif, quelques individualités de talent et une grosse envie de travailler et de progresser. L’état d’esprit sera très important cette année.

Un mot sur vos adversaires dans ce championnat ?
On reste sur le quatuor Juvisy, PSG, Lyon, Montpellier. Paris s’est bien renforcé. Il leur manquait une buteuse et le recrutement de Katia (ex Lyon) va leur faire du bien. Lyon possède un effectif de rêve et est à prendre très au sérieux. Juvisy n’a quasiment pas recruté mais a gardé un effectif de très grande qualité. Pour notre part, nous allons aborder chaque match avec l’objectif de gagner. On verra bien ce que cela donnera.

Korea DPR went full throttle from the outset as they launched an assault on the Japanese goal. In the 3rd and 18th minutes, Ri Kum Suk attempted to head the right side corner kick, and in the 20th minute, an excellent pass was delivered to Pak Kyong Sun, who swiftly ran behind the Japanese defense, only to be blocked by GK Yamago's foot. Japan withstood Korea DPR's attacks with tight marks and balanced covering, until the 38th minute when they were caught off guard for a split hair of a second. Ho Sun Hui crossed a direct pass from the right into the penalty area, where Ri Un Suk trapped the ball, brushed aside the defense, and drove the ball into the goal.

Seeking to equalize as early as possible, Japan had a hard time fighting off the organized Korea DPR defense-the moment a Japanese player took possession of the ball, two defenders would draw closely in. A chance arrived in the 62nd minute, when Korea DPR started to slow down. Sawa sent a superb through pass to Ando, who broke away from the left to take a shot, but it was an easy ball for the goalkeeper to catch without effort. Japan then immediately sent in Miyama and changed their formation from 4-4-2 to 3-5-2. Again in the 82nd minute, Maruyama went in to form a more attacking 3-4-3 line-up. It was a risky option, having less defenders to withstand the dexterous Korea DPR attacks, but Japan was able to defend their goal numerous times in critical situations using all their physical attributes.

A breathtaking moment arrived during the second half extra time. Japan gained a free kick in front of the Korea DPR goal. Yanagida's shot hit a Korea DPR defender's hand, and another free kick was granted to Japan just outside of the penalty area. An air of quiet tension loomed over the pitch, and Miyama drove the ball over the cross bar and out of play, missing the best opportunity Japan had to equalize. The whistle was blown, and the Korea DPR women squad repeated the men's achievement with the same score, 1-0, defeating Japan and gaining 3 points.

Korea DPR head coach Kim Kwang Min commented, "It was our fist match with the new squad of younger players so we expected to struggle more against the experienced Japanese team. We are very happy with this victory." Japan head coach O-hashi reflected, "The players made their best efforts till the end, but we were physically overwhelmed in one-to-one situations. We need to work on passing the ball faster and more accurately."

The match opened with both teams equally advancing and retreating. In the 1st minute, Japan grabbed a chance-Yanagida took the free kick and aimed at the goal.The ball was almost caught by the goalie but bounced loose, and Yanagida tried to play the loose ball into the net. In the 8th minute, across from the right went to China PR's Bi Yan, who tries to head the ball into the goal. In the 27th minute, China PR's Ji Ting received a pass on the left side inside the penalty area and flicked the ball on to Han Duan, who came dashing in to attempt a right-foot shot.

Then Japan took control for a while, pushing the final line forward close to the center line area to play a compact formation, launching an exhaustive attempt at pressing from the front line. This tactic invited China'spassing errors, and Japan stole the ball at relatively high positions. Shots were attempted from inside the penalty area by Ando (30th min.) and Otani (31st min.), and in the 36th minute Sawa thrust a mid-rage shot just outside the penalty area.

Japan's attack continued in the second half, but they just couldn't finish. Replacements were made in the 69th minute (Miyama) and the 75th minute (Ohno). Ohno woke up Japan's offense with break-throughs into the penalty area using fast plays and sharp dribbles. However, none of Japan's shots were accurate enough to find the goal, for the exception of a just-missed right-foot delivery by Sawa during extra time.

Forced to play mostly on the defensive, some of China PR's players experienced cramps in their legs and dropped to the ground, but as head coach Pei Encai described, "The team has the ability to overcome any difficulties." Other than FW Teng Wei, who went in at the 58th minute as a replacement, China PR defended their goal with the same members. A big chance arrived in the 89th minute-confirming that the Japanese goalkeeper was positioned a few steps away from the goal, Teng Wei released a loop shot from about 30 meters away from the goal, but the ball went wide to the left.

In total, Japan made 14 attempts at the goal and China 7, with the match ending in a scoreless draw. In the post-match interview, Japan's head coach O-hashi commented, "I am happy because our team played a better game than the Korea DPR match despite having only a single rest day. We were not able to score any goals, which means in order to beat the world's best teams, we must work on our tactics and individual skills."

"Left side-back Utsugi, making her first appearance in this championship, displayed well-timed over laps, skillful dribbling, and accurate crosses to add diversity to Japan's attacks"

"Let's score and win," encouraged Japan's head coach O-hashi encouraging before the match. Japan showed no hesitation and demonstrated their usual organized football as they went up against host Korea Rep., who had gained two straight wins in the tournament and sat in the leading position. Nagasato spearheaded the offense, and shots were delivered from inside the penalty area by Ando (6th minute) and Otani (8th and 10th minute). In the 25th minute, Nagasato spun around and attempted a sharp mid-range shot. Japan gained a right-side corner kick in the 33rd minute, and Shimogamo played the loose ball punched away by the goalkeeper to take a shot, but the ball hit the post and missed.

In the two matches played, Korea Rep.'s substitutes had scored the winning goal; so again the team made replacements early on-in the 38th minute the agile Jung Jung Suk was sent on, and in the 56th minute the towering 179cm all-round player, Park Eun Sun, went in. In order to prevent the two powerful forwards who tormented the other teams, Japan closed the gap between the lines and tried to maintain a compact game, succeeding to keep the Korean offense away from the goal, even when they fed accurate long passes. When Korea Rep. fed a forward pass to their player's feet, two Japanese players surrounded the attacking Korean player to reinforce the mark.

Although Japan possessed control of the game, they could not finish on the chances they gained. In the 87th minute, Ohno stole the ball from a back pass delivered by a Korean defender and faced the goalkeeper one on one, but her shot went wide to the right. The scoreless draw gave Korea Rep. a total of 7 points and the title as the first East Asian women's champion.