He returned with the same smile he wore throughout his first two seasons in red and black. A few hours after his first session with the team, the Swiss coach was back in the thick of an adventure that he has missed, with as much ambition and desire as before and eady to rediscover the atmosphere of the Côte d'Azur that he loved so much.

Four years after you left, did you expect to come back? At what point did it become a reality? I was interested in Europe in general. It's still something special to come back here. It went well during the 2016-2018 seasons on a sporting and on a human level. I got to know a lot of people with whom I kept in regular contact. Shortly before OGC Nice, there was another club, but when there was OGC Nice, I said to myself: "I'm going there". There are several reasons. First of all, what Ineos is doing is very interesting. What they want to build and continue to build is something very important. On a human level, I know quite a few people, it's very nice to come to a club like this. I've kept in touch with many people, including the man next to me (Jean-Pierre Rivère). It's always better like that, I like the fact that there is a human side. Sporting and human.

Will knowing the club help you to perform more quickly? Have you felt the club has grown since you left?

I don't know, but it's an advantage to know several people, especially as the relationship is good. I worked with Jean-Pierre, it's important to know these people. Ineos is a huge project. The objectives, since we're going to talk about that, I think that within the next two years, Nice must make sure that it progresses, that it does well during the transfer window and that it finishes regularly among the top three. If we see the Ineos reports, they are first there, first here, etc... It's different, because other sports are individual. And this is a team sport. So it's a bit different.

To achieve these goals, does the current squad need to be reshaped or does it have many strengths?

No, it won't be reshaped, but there will certainly be transfers. It's crucial and I'm not the one saying it. Wenger also said it at Arsenal.

You talked about the importance of the transfer market to have a good season. Were you able to work on it, to anticipate, even if the official announcement of your arrival was only made today?

We all work together, with a good understanding. We have to exchange ideas, the players we see to make the right decision. It has to be intuitive, but sometimes you have to ask yourself other questions and get others involved. I remember that at Yverdon, I was with my president, we said we would choose a player. It turns out that he left at the same time as the player, who ran three red lights. He called me and said, "I don't want to take him". I said okay, we won't take him. More generally, transfers are summer and winter. In the winter, you are not going to make 10 transfers, but these periods are crucial.

"THERE ARE GOOD PLAYERS, A GOOD MENTALITY"

What do you think of the squad? Do you already have a clear idea of how you want to play?

I was introduced to the squad this morning. I had watched some OGC Nice matches, some video recordings, as I do for other clubs. There are good players in this club, a good mentality. It was the first training session, it lasted an hour, it's not long, but it was very good. It was very interesting. I saw a lot of positive things.

What differences are there between the Lucien Favre of 2016 and the Lucien Favre of today, in life, in football?

Football is always changing, it's a reflection of our society. I'm always trying to improve. That's what I keep doing. In addition, you have to listen to other people. There are lots of things you can do to improve. I did what I always do, I took a break, after five years of work. You always have to analyse things, adapt to the evolution of football, things change. It's not the same as before. It's different. If you compare the football of the 2000s and that of 2022, it has changed a lot. What do you have to do in training? Do you have to correct the players more? You have to adapt. I've tried to improve on things that I'll keep personal.

In your first stint, you used several tactical approaches. It's the end of June. Do you think that on the first matchday we will play a 4-3-3?

You have to adapt to your players, all coaches do it, at all levels. Within two years, the objective is to regularly finish in the top three, and even more (smiles exchanged with Jean-Pierre Rivère). You have to tell the truth, that's the objective, but it takes a little time. What do we know? Brazil of 1970 played in 4-2-3-1, it was fantastic. Well, we're not going back to 1970 (laughs). Liverpool play a 4-3-3, which turns into a 4-4-2 defensively, because Salah comes back to the right side, although not often. At Manchester City, Guardiola didn't change his team this year. It was a 4-2-3-1, a 4-3-3. De Bruyne was often up front or they sometimes played without a centre-forward. The best moments of Bayern Munich, in 2013-2014, in a 4-2-3-1, it was Robben on the right, with a left foot, it was Ribery, who you know well, on the left, with his right foot or who was overlapping on the left. So it's a mixture of 4-3-3 and 4-2-3-1. It is the most reliable system. The positions on the pitch are all occupied. With three players, it's not always the case. You can always change, surprise the opponent, by switching to 3-4-1-2, 3-5-2. However, I think the players prefer to play in their position. If you suggest it to them in a match, it's fine, but we have to adapt. That's what we'll work on. We can also have a great season with another system, win titles with another system. In 2002, Brazil won the World Cup with a three-man backline. You should never be strict. But these teams are often in a 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 formation.

As far as the squad is concerned, some young players are being looked at. Are there any you absolutely want to keep?

Yes, Gouiri and Thuram will stay. Todibo will also stay.

"IN SUMMER OR WINTER, DIFFERENCES ARE MADE, WITH ONE OR TWO PLAYERS"

During the pre-season between your first and second season, you lost players. With Ineos, is it a guarantee that you won't have another difficult summer?

That's how it is, it happens. The means were not comparable. These periods are very important, you have to control them well. In summer or winter, differences are often made with one or two players. That can make huge differences, for a title or a qualification. 

During your first time here, you were not involved in recruitment. Was this a condition of your return, to have an input on this?

The recruitment was late, but it was good. I was still looking. I was told, I can take this one or this one. I said, yes, that's not bad. I was just checking the available data. I don't want to dictate anything, I'll never be like that. I like to exchange ideas and then we decide, because after a while you have to make decisions. Sometimes you say yes, you absolutely have to take him, even if there is a small risk. If you want a young player, assessing his talent is hard. You can be wrong. If sometimes you have a good intuition, you have to go through with it. Then you have to convince the others, who can tell you whether they agree or not. There are a few people involved in this.

Was Benitez's departure a collective decision? Is there a need to strengthen this area? What is your opinion of Marcin Bulka?

I didn't interfere with Benitez because it was already decided. There are a lot of things I'm looking at. I'm going to watch a lot of players in training over the next ten days, including the goalkeeper. Bulka made a good impression on me. But it's clear that we have to recruit.

One player is still there, and that is Dante. How did you find him?

He's still good, in a good mood, he's always joking. He's always positive. He calms everyone down, he motivates everyone. I know what he's going to do for the team.

You will be back at the Allianz Riviera, with the fans. You left, but you kept a good relationship with them. How do you anticipate this return?

I hope it will be magnificent, I'm looking forward to it. I liked this stadium, it was beautiful. I loved it. There was a good bond between us and the fans. I'm really looking forward to it.

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