Even if the anecdote makes you smile, Will Still was not recruited by the Stade de Reims for his performances on Football Manager. The person concerned did not fail to affirm it at a press conference this week: “It’s a myth that must be broken, moreover, because we have diplomas, whether it’s Didier Digard or myself. .We have the highest possible or attainable diplomas so far. I repeat, at 30, having the BEPF or the pro license is very complicated to enter the course (…) I’m not just a geek who played Football Manager because it’s totally wrong . I didn’t just land in Reims by coming behind my computer. Besides, it’s a computer that I haven’t touched for years and years…”
The Belgian coach was able to convince outside the screens. Video analyst at 22, assistant at 24 then interim coach at 25: everything went very quickly for the one who is currently causing a sensation with the Stade de Reims. After taking over as interim coach for Oscar Garcia, Will Still was appointed head coach of the Champagne outfit in October 2022. Undefeated in his first 17 matches in Ligue 1, the young coach is on the rise and never ceases to amaze. in a championship unaccustomed to this precociousness on the benches.
Enzo Djebali, former recruiter at the Stade de Reims and now at Versailles, remembers for Le Point the process of recruiting Will Still and insists in particular on his profile, which had caught the eye of the leaders of Reims. “During the 2021-2022 preseason, one of Oscar Garcia’s assistants left at the last minute. We had to hire a new assistant with several criteria, including a strong knowledge of video analysis and a bilingual profile. We had studied a few names, such as David Ducourtioux and Peter Luccin, but we really liked Will’s CV, especially for his proximity to the field. The president was convinced behind. »
?? Will Still: “Balogun, your French is shocking, it’s terrible!” A session with the @StadeDeReims coach, all in complicity with his group.
How then to explain such a success for the one whose team resisted PSG twice but also knew how to beat Monaco and Stade Rennes in Ligue 1? For Enzo Djebali, the Will Still method can be summed up in one word: clarity. “Very quickly, we felt in the sessions a voice that carries. He has short sentences so that his explanations are simple and clear, repeating them in French and English. Will Still is efficiency and a natural charisma with the players, he doesn’t worry about trying to play tricks. He’s not just a geek! When he hosts his workouts, everything is crisp and clear. The players feel him as a second captain rather than a full-fledged coach. “And even when his team experienced defeat for the first time with the elimination in the Coupe de France on the side of Toulouse (1-3), Will Still was able to find the words to directly relaunch his group.
If Julian Nagelsmann started very early on the benches of the Bundesliga side of Hoffenheim, seeing such a young coach remains much rarer in France. But for Will Still, this is absolutely not a major concern. “I’m now in my eighth or ninth season in professional football, so although I’m very young, I have a few years behind me. I’m starting to have experience. In the past, I’ve had players almost ten years older than me, but that’s part of the job. I can’t add ten more years to myself with the snap of my fingers…”, he said in an interview with the LFP. And Will Still has a cost: his club must pay a fine of 25,000 euros for each match, because he does not have the diploma required in France to coach in the elite.
Off the pitch and his intense training, Will Still remains a perfectionist, as evidenced by Enzo Djebali. “He’s a rather quiet person, smiling but frank. We don’t see him in the living room to play darts: as soon as he has free time, he will rather work on video analysis and revise his sessions. He is anxious about the next match, he is obsessed because he wants to reproduce. Will Still goes there step by step, he simplifies the exploit and normalizes it to project himself immediately on the match after. The coaching profession is also a family vocation since his two brothers, Edward (32) and Nicolas (26), are respectively the main coach and the assistant coach of Eupen, in Belgium.
Although his playing career quickly came to an end due to the series of positions and diplomas to be obtained, the 30-year-old coach still made a few appearances in the Belgian fourth division with Tempo Overijse. Enzo Djebali has also noticed that the player and coach Will Still look alike: “We played a few games between us at the club to have fun. Will is a kind of number 8 who has a decent slaughter but above all has an excellent placement. He has no superfluous gestures, it’s efficiency above all: he’s the same player as the coach. »
With his run of 17 games in a row without defeat, a current record in Europe, Will Still has taken to the game and hopes to see his team continue on this path. Under him, Stade de Reims moved from 17th to 8th place, and are now just four points clear of the European Cup. Everyone at the Auguste-Delaune stadium is hoping to see this historic streak continue with a tough challenge this Sunday: Olympique de Marseille. A team that Will Still has undoubtedly faced a lot on Football Manager and that he dreams of hanging on his roster in real life. Without the possibility of saving beforehand.
