This season is definitely not what Dunkerque had hoped for last summer when Tarik Hayatoune took over; Franck Maurice's former assistant was dismissed during the international break, just a few months after being promoted to head coach of the first team. This was because Dunkerque found themselves in a delicate position at the halfway point of the season: with 11 defeats in 15 outings, the northerners spent the winter in the relegation zone.
After starting their Liqui Moly StarLigue campaign with a defeat against our Les Rouge et Bleu at Coubertin (32-28), the Lions then experienced mixed fortunes. Just when we thought they were finally on track with two consecutive victories against Nîmes (29-27) and Chartres (24-25) in October, what followed was nothing short of a huge disappointment. Over the weeks, Tarik Hayatoune's men suffered a string of setbacks, with defeats against newly promoted Sélestat (26-27) and Dijon (31-24) resulting in their sitting 15th at the winter break with a meagre record of two wins, two draws and 11 defeats.
In order to prevent the club from being relegated to the second division for the first time in 37 years, Dunkerque's management has decided to reshuffle the coaching staff, appointing Yohan Delattre to replace Tarik Hayatoune. Although he has not been head coach of a club for nearly 20 years - apart from a spell at Villeneuve-d'Ascq - he has extensive international experience.
A key figure in the French national team's staff, the new northern coach has won two world titles at the helm of France's U21 team (2015, 2019), with several current members of the capital club, such as Elohim Prandi and Noah Gaudin, under his command. Responsible for the USDK's youth academy for nearly 20 years, Yohan Delattre has decided to temporarily step down from his position as Guillaume Gille's assistant with the French national team to devote himself to saving his club.
Almost two months ago, our Parisians returned from their Matchday 15 Liqui Moly StarLigue in Nantes with a share of the points. Thanks to their victory against Chartres (27-41) in the Matchday 16 curtain-raiser on Tuesday, the H have caught up with Stefan Madsen's men.
Our Rouge et Bleu will therefore be keen to get back on track in Dunkirk on Friday and regain a two-point lead over their closest rivals. To do so, the capital club will be able to count on a new reinforcement in the form of Simen Lyse. The new Parisian, who made his debut against Saran in the Coupe de France, is now set to make his Liqui Moly StarLigue debut.
Back at Dunkerque after a previous spell as a medical joker during the 2022-2023 season, Diogo Oliveira is one of the revelations of this season's Liqui Moly StarLigue. At the half-way point of the season, the centre-half is quite simply the most decisive player in the top flight. In addition to his importance in passing and transitions, the former Porto player has already racked up 117 goals and 115 assists. These figures are all the more staggering when you consider that Diogo Oliveira has been involved in 56% of Dunkerque's goals in the first half of the season.
While these figures demonstrate Diogo Oliveira's rapid adaptation to the French league, they also reflect the squad's dependence on the Portuguese player. Yohan Delattre will therefore be looking to breathe new life into a squad that has no shortage of good players but lacks confidence, as evidenced by its status as the weakest attack in the top flight. If players who have been struggling for success, such as left-backs Gautier Crepel and Quentin Dupuy - or winger Dylan Tossin - were to return to the form they have shown in recent seasons, there is no doubt that USDK would not remain in the relegation zone for long.
The match between Dunkerque and Paris will throw off at 20:00 on Friday 13 February. The match will be broadcast live and exclusively on HandballTV. Among the other matches on Matchday 16, the Starmatch of the week will see European contenders Limoges and Montpellier face off. In another clash between continental qualification contenders, Chambéry will attempt to widen the gap over Aix. At the bottom of the table, Dunkerque could fall to last place if they suffer another defeat against our Parisians and Istres win in Toulouse.
