Didier Digard

Nice’s inexperienced temporary coach has hit the ground running

- Adam White

Three years younger than club captain Dante, OGC Nice interim coach Didier Digard is one of France’s more unexpected managerial success stories. So minimal is Digard’s experience that, until recently and in circumstances similar to Reims boss Will Still, his lack of French football’s BEPF coaching diploma meant the Riviera club were fined €25,000 for every game he oversaw. However, since Digard’s January arrival, Nice have progressed from cup humiliation by third-tier Le Puy and fretting over the four-team relegation zone to vibrant European hopefuls.

As a result, despite the price tag, Nice quickly extended Digard’s stay to at least the end of the season, impressed by an opening run of 14 games unbeaten which produced away victories over podium-chasing Lens, Marseille and Monaco. The former Middlesbrough midfielder has amped up training intensity and provided a more positive coaching presence than relatively dogmatic former managers Lucien Favre and Patrick Vieira. A switch to a forward-thinking 4-3-3 has got the best from his star players too, most notably dynamic midfielder Khephren Thuram, who made his France debut in March.