The break of more than a week without a match was beneficial for CF Montreal, but all good things must come to an end.
In the home stretch of a streak of 11 games in 36 days, the players and coaches had made no secret of the fact that they were watching this truce which would allow them to regain their strength.
Himself physically and mentally exhausted, head coach Hernan Losada had to use virtually all his staff during this grueling series of matches. The Bleu-blanc-noir still came out well, posting a respectable record of 6-4-1. And if the playoffs started today, he would be in it.
Nevertheless, we felt that the level of play of some players, including that of Quebecer Mathieu Choinière, had lost a bit of confidence. Used excessively since the start of the campaign because of its efficiency and versatility, Choinière said he was happy to have been able to recharge the batteries.
“After all the games we had chained, the break was good, he mentioned, Monday, before training at Center Nutrilait. It was beneficial physically and mentally because it’s not always easy to be focused every day and to be ready to play matches. We got a few days off and we took the opportunity to disconnect. »
This was also Losada’s request. Before resuming training last Thursday, the head coach wanted his men to take time for themselves, with their family and friends.
Losada managed to respect his own request, but his role as head coach took over at times. The Argentinian went into analysis mode and he didn’t stray too far from his passion for the sport.
“I also tried to stay away from soccer. We didn’t play this weekend, but I watched Nashville, DC United and the Nations League final between Canada and USA. I watched a lot of soccer because it’s something I like. Even when I wasn’t a coach, I watched a lot. I always try to learn from it. It’s not a job, it’s a passion,” he said.
When asked by a reporter what he thought of the Nations League final, Losada shared his observations for a few minutes even though he only watched the first half. Obviously, we can get the head coach out of soccer, but not the other way around.
Losada said he was pleased with the energy displayed by his players when they returned to training on Thursday. Some of them had received an individual training program in order to keep in shape due to limited playing time in recent weeks.
The head coach took the opportunity to involve all his players in the tactical plans. In recent weeks, he had given lighter training to those who played a lot so as not to overtax them.
“We worked well last week and not just with the ball. There were a lot of sprints and energy. Whenever the teams are on break, it’s a good time to work a bit more tactically,” Losada noted.
CF Montreal participated Monday in a training session focused on their Wednesday opponents at Stade Saputo: Nashville SC – one of the best teams in MLS. After that match, they will play an away clash against Charlotte FC on Saturday.
Thereafter, the calendar of Montrealers will be a little less busy and it will include less travel. The players will have more time to work on their individual qualities with the ball.
“We can definitely train a bit more on the technical aspects,” said forward Chinonso Offor. The last few weeks had been different because we were playing every three days. We didn’t really have time to work on that. »