On Friday, during his presentation, Alaoui had set out the profile being sought. He was aiming either for a highly experienced coach, capable of rallying the troops and very quickly forging a team spirit in a one-season rescue mission, or for a young coach, very modern and very strong tactically.
The former defender, a free agent since leaving Blackburn in February, is signed only until the end of the season. This is his first experience on a bench in France, and it is no sinecure.
With two draws and eight defeats in the first ten matchdays, the oldest club already trails the first side outside the relegation places, Le Mans, 15th, by six points. The gap is the same with Troyes, 17th.
Troyes will in fact be the next opponent, on November 20. This baptism of fire in the Aube will be all or nothing for a club that has just been through very turbulent days.
These tensions follow the dismissal of Ismaël's predecessor, Didier Digard. Trained as a player at Le Havre, of which he had been the youngest captain in history, Digard retained, despite disastrous results and worrying performances, the confidence of his immediate hierarchy as well as the support of the supporters.
The choice fell on experience. Ismaël arrives for a relegation battle already under way, with a first decisive appointment against a direct rival from the red zone.