Nicolas Seube’s Playbook 2023/24: The Caen revival and the pursuit of playoff glory – tactical analysis

Caen appointed club legend Nicolas Seube as their new head coach only in November last year after sacking renowned Ligue 2 promotion specialist Jean-Marc Furlan earlier that month, with the team placed 12th in Ligue 2, far from the desired promotion spots. That worsened under caretaker boss Patrick Sauvaget, with the Vikings floundering in 16th, giving their next permanent boss an unenviable task.

However, Seube has not only met the challenge head-on but has drastically improved Caens outlook for the season. With five wins and a draw in his six league matches in charge, the club now incredibly occupy the final promotion playoff spot (fifth) in Ligue 2 — only four points behind third-placed Grenoble Foot.

How has Seube turned things around in such a short span of time? This tactical analysis will take a deep look at the data behind Caens upturn under their legendary former midfielder as well as providing an analysis of their tactics in and out of possession.

Background

Nicolas Seube began his playing career at Toulouse, moving from their B team to the senior side in 2000. However, he didnt make a single appearance for the first team before joining Caen on a free transfer the following summer.

At Caen, he found a home he would inhabit for 16 years. Seube went on to become a regular starter for the Vikings, who were then in Ligue 2 and helped them win promotion to the first tier in 2004. However, they suffered relegation at the end of the 2004-05 campaign, spending two more seasons in the second tier before returning to Ligue 1 in 2007. They stayed up for two campaigns before suffering relegation once again.

Caen were back in Ligue 1 in 2010, went back down in 2012, were promoted in 2014 and remained in the top flight until 2017 when Seube announced his retirement. Overall, he made 520 appearances for the club, recording 10 goals and 12 assists. While he largely operated in defensive midfield, he also played as a left-back and centre-back when required.

He holds their appearance record and is 109 ahead of second-placed Anthony Deroin. Among active players currently at Caen, Alexandre Mendy comes closest to Seube with 125 appearances, still a considerable distance away. Seube is also the second-oldest player to play a match for the club at 37 years, eight months and 19 days, and their oldest-ever goalscorer, having netted in a 3-2 win over Olympique Marseille back in 2015 at the age of 35 years, six months and 16 days.

A year after his retirement, Seube joined Caens U19 side as their assistant manager before taking on the same role on their B team in 2019. One year later, he became the U19 teams manager, a position he held for two years while also managing their academy team between 2021 and 2023. Midway through that stretch, Seube became Caen Bs manager in July 2022 and held that role until November 2023, when he was appointed as the manager of the senior team.

Talk about a one-club man!

How Caen have set up under Seube

Across his first six matches in charge of Caen, Seube has stuck with a 4-4-2 formation.

In the first four games of his tenure, he chose to use Anthony Mandrea in goal but has since shifted to Yannis Clementia. Centre-backs Brahim Traoré and Romain Thomas (who is also their captain), centre-forward Alexandre Mendy and midfielder Mathias Autret, who has played on both flanks so far, are the only players to have featured in all six matches.

Valentine Henry has largely made the right-back slot his own, though Seube handed Alexander Coeff a start in their most recent outing, a 2-1 win over Bastia. The left-back slot has been a toss-up between Coeff, Ali Abdi and Dieudonne Debohi, who started against Bastia.

Debohi and 19-year-old Noé Lebreton have largely been preferred in midfield, though Quentin Daubin and Hiangaa Mbock have also sparingly featured. Godson Kyeremeh has mostly accompanied Autret, though the likes of Henry, Abdi and Bilal Brahimi have also received minutes across either wing. Upfront, Mendy has had a variety of partners, including Autret, Mickaël Le Bihan and Brahimi.

The 4-4-2 set-up has given Caen a solid defensive identity, with the players out wide often tracking back to help the team defend in numbers. Since Seubes arrival, they have only conceded twice, keeping four clean sheets in six outings. This has meant that theyve picked up five wins and a draw despite scoring only seven goals.

On that note, lets take a deeper look at whats behind their resurgence under Seube.

What do the stats say about Caens improvements under Nicolas Seube?

Under Seube, Caen have made some improvements across the board, but many of their overall metrics have remained the same.

Lets first take a look at their season averages (which includes Seubes time in charge) in defensive metrics in comparison with their numbers in the six games since his arrival.

They are making more recoveries (97.33 compared to 90.14) and interceptions (42.33 from 39.38), with marginal improvements in clearances as well. While they are conceding slightly more shots (10.33 from 10.10), they have limited their opponents to an accuracy of just 38.79% compared to the season average of 42.50%, which partly explains their improved defensive acumen.

Next up, heres a look at their passing, creativity and pressing intensity.