After only 4 years, Chateauroux fell back to the Championnat National at the conclusion of a nightmarish season characterized by 4 different coaches, 2 Covid outbreaks in the squad and the club’s takeover by Saudi Arabian investors.
Their campaign had actually started off perfectly as they won away at Ajaccio, but that would be their sole success travelling and one of their rare wins overall. Under coach Nicolas Usai, they were very inconsistent, still managing to grab the occasional three-pointer, though, but he was let go after 3 defeats in a row between weeks 13 and 15 brought them to the danger zone.
Olivier Garavaglia led the team temporarily for 2 games, obtaining just 1 point, and was then replaced by Bernard Cauet. This was a fatal move by the club, given the coach’s limited experience and coincided with a Covid outbreak that depleted the squad. During Cauet’s charge Chateauroux managed to win their last games, 4-0 at home over Chambly, but also fell to the bottom, courtesy of 8 defeats in 11 games.
At the start of March, when the situation was still redeemable, the new owners arrived and the axe fell on Cauet. Marco Simone thus took over but, despite a pleasant and aggressive football, he failed to lead them to success again, with a squad plagued by injuries and a new Covid infection. By week 35 Chateauroux were already relegated and could start planning the future.
Not many players had the opportunity to shine in such a disastrous season but Chouaref, with 6 assists, Grange, with 6 goals, and 19-year-old Doucoure, who scored 1 and assisted twice in just 300 minutes of play before getting season-ending injury, are the ones who stood out.
Chateauroux are an ambitious club but a major overhaul will have to take place this summer if they are to get back to Ligue 2, especially considering the idea of football Simone has in mind.
