On the pitch, he never failed. With the season now over, his memory takes over efficiently. Every detail, every move, every goal, every impact on the league table, every outpouring, every bruise: everything is crystal clear in Jean-Clair's mind. So as we take a final look back, Todibo, the player most used by Coach Galtier, describes the 2021-22 season through 10 key dates.   

NICE 0-0 REIMS - AUGUST 8, 2021 (M1)

"The first game of a long season. A very good memory, despite the 0-0 draw. We came up against a pretty tough defence. We created chances, we played well with the ball, but unfortunately we couldn't score the goal that would have allowed us to take the three points. On the whole, for a first league game, we weren't bad, perhaps very good. We had some late arrivals, I think there was Melvin who signed just before the game against Milan. So we had to find our bearings, to understand the coach's tactical choices and his game plan. 

On a personal level, I didn't really place any meaning on this match. My first match at OGC Nice was at Monaco (on loan at Le Gym in winter 2021, JC signed permanently for the club in June of the same year, Editor's note). However, it did mark the return of the fans and that did us an awful lot of good. There was Milan just before, although that wasn't the same, because once the league really starts, everything changes. It was also the first clean sheet of a season in which we ended with the best defence in the league..."

Lille 0–4 Nice – 14 AUGUST 2021 (M2)

"Our first victory. And we said to ourselves very quickly that the season was going to be a great one... We travelled to the French champions, and in fact, it was the match where they were celebrating the title win with their fans. We scored four. We secured the three points. The season before, we didn't even get a shot off there.

It was obvious in this game but the team had already changed, even in pre-season. Although in pre-season, it is always more complicated. A new coach had arrived, with new ideas that had to be taken on board very quickly, and ideas that required a lot of physical effort. We were not necessarily in a position to put in these efforts at the beginning of the summer. That's why we didn't get positive results in the friendlies. But frankly, I wasn't worried, I knew it was a transition period and that it would come. We adapted.

Beating the champions is not necessarily significant. What is significant, however, is the fact that we scored four in and didn't concede. It meant we were able to beat the big boys in the league. At the end of that game, that was in our minds and it was good for our confidence."

Nice 2–2 Monaco - 19 SEPTEMBER 2021 (M6)

"The first two goals that we conceded.. It was a shame. We didn't really have a good first half, but nor did Monaco. But they were very ruthless, as they always are. They are that kind of team. We headed back out in the second half with the desire to do better, and we did so. We got a draw, we had the opportunity to make it 3-2, or even 4-2: a penalty and another big opportunity in behind to break them down. We lacked a touch of luck. The dynamic of the match moved in our favour, but we weren't able to take advantage of that.

Personally, I never doubted Monaco, even when they were in a tough period. I repeated throughout the season that we had to be careful with them. At one point they were well behind the podium places, but I always said to myself: "Be careful, when Monaco start a winning streak, it's hard to stop them." That proved to be true again. If you look closely, it was the same thing last year too: they got themselves onto a winning streak and pulled everything together."

Lorient 1-0 Nice – 22 SEPTEMBER (M7)

"Our first defeat. It wasn't a consequence of the derby, because we had a very good second half against Monaco. Against Lorient, we didn't play badly either, we were actually pretty good, but we were beaten by one moment. I think Justin went off injured, and we found ourselves down to 10 men, and then they got an attacking set piece. We lost our balance and we didn't react in the right way, Monconduit got free and scored with a great shot. Trailing, we pushed and we pushed, we had a lot of chances, set pieces, well taken corners. In this game, we didn't do well and we couldn't score. I remember that I came off. As we took risks, we lost our balance, Lorient also pushed on the counter. They did't manage to find a 2nd... and we missed another penalty."

Nice 3–2 Lyon - 24 OCTOBER (M11)

"The first comeback. For me, Lyon is the best team we played this season, both home and away. Unfortunately for them, they haven't finished that high up the league because of their lack of consistency, but I'll say it again: they are the best team we have played against. 

In the first game, it was a big power struggle between us and them. We weren't doing badly, they were doing very well. They found Toko Ekambi with a long ball, he strikes, Walter parries, and then he wins the 2nd ball with a tackle. The power struggle continued, both teams were in the game, even though they were dominating us. We had some chances, we were playing out with the ball. In the second half, there was a one-two between Aouar and Paquetà, Aouar shot and found the back of the net. They had doubled their lead. We then said to ourselves that it was going to be tough, but we couldn't give up. We are competitors, we needed to grab a goal that would get us back into the match and put us on the right track to at least go on to pick up a point. Youcef came on, he brought his legs, Evann and Alexis too. Everything changed. We reduced the score and then Kadewere got a red card for an unnecessary foul on Melvin... From then on, it became complicated for them. They should never have been down to 10 men because they were in control.

Youcef is a very important member of the team, when he's on the field, we know that on the right side, we have a machine that will put in the effort, both defensively and in attack throughout the 90 minutes, without ever stopping. He came on and he was on fire. He did the same at Rennes, as a starter. He did what Youcef does. Lyon were tired, they dropped deeper because they were down to 10. We were able to take advantage of that."

PSG 0-0 NICE (5-6 ON PENALTIES) – 31 JANUARY (ROUND OF 16 OF THE COUPE DE FRANCE)

"It was a huge performance from us. One of the greatest of the season in my view, especially defensively. During the game, despite PSG's domination, a side that had dominated L1, we managed to produce some great football. We played the game that we needed to. We managed to beat them in the of the penalty shootout. We knew how to stay strong and we had a very, very impressive Marcin. The penalty shootout? I went for it. I enjoy it. You don't have to be afraid. There were people who were teasing me during the game and during the shootout. It makes me laugh, for me it's normal. In Paris, that's how it is, even with youngsters. There is always a moment in the game when you can hear what is said in the stands, whether it's about you or not, but it is for a very short amount in time. Over 90 minutes, I'm so concentrated that I don't hear anything, except for that little moment when I have a listen, often when the game is stopped.

For me, Paris is special, it's where I grew up. The first football match that I saw was at the Parc des Princes: Paris - Lorient, at the time of Erding, Kezman, Hoarau, Ceara. It wasn't the Paris of today, but it was Paris. Paris and Barcelona were my two teams. I like to play against Paris."

Nice 4-1 Marseille – 9 FEBRUARY (QUARTER-FINAL, COUPE DE FRANCE)

"The public wanted payback, and so did we. However, there was no animosity, life is the way it is, you can't go back in time. The situation was simple: we wanted to go all the way in the Coupe de France, so we needed to win. We put in the effort needed to, even though we didn't start well. Melvin scored an own goal with his back. It didn't really affect us and it was good to have our fans behind us. They pushed us and pushed us. We played a great game. Amine had a great game, Justin too. Our attacking players were in good shape, I wasn't worried, even after their goal. I was confident, knew that the lads were going to do well up-front. I had the feeling that the match could not get away from us. Marseille couldn't beat us at home this season.

After this match, we went to Lyon. Tough. I'll say it again: beyond the fatigue and everything else, Lyon were the best team this season. They beat us 2-0 and could have scored more. We didn't play the game that we needed to. Still, their first goal was debatable, a penalty kick from Moussa Dembele. The handball for Justin was questionable, because he wasn't happy about a push from Lukeba in the back. Despite VAR, the referee gave it. Dembele missed from the spot, but as a player encroached into the area, the referee made him take it again and he scored. Then we could have had a penalty on Khephren. In spite of their domination, in spite of our poor performance, we could have got something from the match. The opportunity to make it 1-1 that wasn't given. But quite honestly, Lyon completely dominated and controlled the game."

Nice 2–0 Versailles - 1 MARCH (SEMI-FINAL, COUPE DE FRANCE)

"There was no doubt about it. At that time, we were 3rd in L1. For me, it would have been shameful for a side from N2 to come and beat us at home. We had to give our all, take them seriously, as if we were playing against Paris or Marseille. That's what we did to our credit. We didn't disrespect them, we didn't take them lightly. We played, we won. Honestly, we weren't worried in the dressing room. We played the game that we needed to play. Considering our record, it would have been ridiculous not to make it to the Stade de France due to a lack of humility. 

After Versailles, we beat Paris at home. A very good memory for us, with Andy's goal to save us. What more could you ask for? We brought all the right ingredients that week: we secured our spot in the Coupe de France final, we beat Paris at home and the 3 points allowed us to move up to 2nd in Ligue 1."

Nice 0–1 Nantes - 7 MAY (FINAL OF THE COUPE DE FRANCE)

"For the whole of my life, I will have regrets about that final. We could have won the cup. With the track record we have, we tell ourselves that it is ours. We started well. After this start, we think we are going to win. Unfortunately, we started to drop off, to lose the balance of the team, we opened up for Nantes, even in the first half, but aside from Marcin coming out to get down at the feet of Ludo Blas, we were quite solid. They weren't dangerous. Even in the second half, they weren't too dangerous. A penalty was given for a questionable foul, we were then chasing the match, without finding the back of the net. We should have done better well before their goal, in the first half, but we lacked ruthlessness. This season, every time we scored, we became a difficult team to play against. Apart from Lille, I don't think we had lost another game after leading.

Before the final, I was so focused on what we had to do to win that I didn't pay attention to everything else around us. I was excited, I wanted to play, I wanted to win. I was too focused to let it bother me. But looking back, there were still some incredible things..."

Reims 2-3 Nice – 21 MAY 2022 (M38)

"A whole season came down to just one match… Before Reims, there was the mental fatigue, the season was long, we had put in a lot of effort and despite everything, we weren't masters of our own destiny. Knowing that we could win and lose everything was hard and trying, and on top of that, we found ourselves 2-0 down at half-time... The victory came as a relief, because it allowed us to hang on to a European place, which is very good. When we werelosing 2-0 at half-time, there was some frustration, because we knew that we could do better, but we didn't panic. Given what we had done all season, we knew that we were capable of turning this kind of situation around. That's what we did.

Personally, I was keeping up-to-date with the other results before going back out onto the field. That gave me an extra boost, I told myself and we told ourselves that nothing was over. Besides, it's very rare that I think about defeat during a match. Anything can happen on the pitch, so I believed in it from the beginning to the end and I was right to do so. That game summed up our season. We were a mentally tough team, we should have improved on some fronts, especially mentally, because we often had to be in trouble before we were able to to get our heads above water. We could have made life easier for ourselves. I was relieved at 2-2, but I still wanted us to get the 3 points. We gave our all until the very end to get that third goal, and the victory. When we got it to 3-2, Morgan, told me that Rennes were losing. At that moment, I was really happy, that's why I was like a madman at the final whistle. For me I thought we were in 4th. I was quickly disappointed because I was told that Rennes had equalised in the last minute against Lille. It was hard.  

On the whole, the season leaves me with a bitter taste. I am convinced that we could have done much better than that. However, we are not going to be picky: snatching a European place on the last day did us a lot of good. With the benefit of hindsight, we could say that the season was thrown off by a handful of matches because we lost a lot of silly points against opponents who weren't better than us. We have to learn from this going forward.

On a personal level, this season helped me to grow in every domain. I am feeling good and important. I hope that next season will be even better!"

 

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