Players Raphaël Lipinski and Wilitty Younoussa, as well as assistant coach Emerick Darbelet, who finished 4th with Raf in 2024, have reflected on the similarities and differences between the team from that time and the current team aiming for a historic achievement.
With only three games left to play and a chance to qualify for the playoffs, the end of the season for Rodez inevitably brings back memories of 2023-2024, the club’s best season in history, which ended with a defeat to Saint-Etienne (2-0) after finishing in 4th place. It remains to be seen if today’s Ruthénois will match or surpass their predecessors, but some similarities exist between the two teams.
“Right now, there is 100% trust between players and the staff. We trust each other, that’s the first word that comes to mind”, says current captain Raphaël Lipinski, one of the few remaining players from the previous era, along with Enzo Crombez, Wilitty Younoussa, and Taëryk Arconte. “And just like two years ago, there is this carefree attitude that means we don’t overthink anything. Everything is done on instinct, and that’s how we succeed.” “The group is united, there is a lot of cohesion among us, similar to what we experienced two years ago”, adds Wilitty Younoussa.
“New players quickly understood the game principles”
However, the construction of the squad differed between these two periods. The playoff participation in 2024 highlighted a group of players who had spent several seasons together. The bonds were strengthened at the end of the previous season with the emotions of avoiding relegation to Bordeaux and the solidarity sparked by all the attacks and insults directed at Lucas Buadès. “As a newcomer, we were attached to a solid core, a strong foundation. The coach had taken over the team mid-season before, he had implemented his principles, everyone was on the same page,” recalls Raphaël Lipinski, who joined the Aveyron club in the summer of 2023.
This season, none of that existed. With 17 arrivals and 19 departures, the team had virtually no common past. But the Ruthénois managed to overcome this obstacle. “Having new players allows us to immediately get into what we want to do. We told them ‘this is how it is’, ‘you have to dive in’,” highlights Emerick Darbelet, assistant to coach Didier Santini. “The group has the ability to quickly assimilate. The newcomers quickly understood the game principles, they embraced the coach’s message,” emphasizes Wilitty Younoussa. “Many of the recruits were unfamiliar with Ligue 2. They wanted to show themselves, to prove they are at the level. This created competition within the squad and set a good dynamic in place.” The midfielder also believes that “if we had known each other for one or two years, we would be even better.”
Just like two years ago, a gradual improvement
In terms of performance, progress was not linear. Much like in 2023-2024, the rise of the red and golds was gradual, after being in the lower half of the table at the start of the season. This was even more pronounced this time, with a temporary setback at the beginning of autumn, before starting a run of unbeaten games since November 7th. “Since I arrived here, we were used to not getting good results in January. This year, that period was very important because we ended the month still on our unbeaten streak and with significant progress,” notes Raphaël Lipinski. The draws against Red Star and Le Mans, who were in the top 5 at the time, caught everyone’s attention. These were matches we should have won, and we realized we could aim higher and challenge these opponents. The standings were very close between 6th and 12th place for a long time, so by being in that mix, we knew we could improve.”
“The best group we’ve had”
This upward trajectory was observed daily by Emerick Darbelet. “Based on my role, I focus more on how we work in training, on what we will implement, rather than just looking at the results,” he explains. “In terms of training and group progress, we were ahead of the group from two years ago. It’s obvious. Some things progressed faster, we were able to solve problems more quickly. But that doesn’t necessarily mean we will get better results.”
The assistant coach, who has been at Raf since 2020, believes that the current squad “is the best we’ve had.” “Maybe we don’t have a player like Timothée Nkada, Noah Cadiou, or Waniss Taibi, who can change a game for us,” he continues. “However, during training, I realized it’s strong. There hasn’t been such a density of players at this level before.” And it is with this collective effort that Raf can have great ambitions.
