It’s not his favorite exercise, but Laurent Nicollin complied with it on Monday. Along with his coach, Olivier Dall’Oglioand at the dawn of a second joint season for the two men in Ligue 1, the president of MHSC delivered its back-to-school press conference, in front of around twenty journalists. He mentioned the end of last season, the transfer window, his ambitions, the means allocated to his coach to do better, the calendar, but also his future stadium.
The first three recruits were then presented (Arnaud Nordin, Faitout Maouassa, Théo Sainte-Luce), so Wahbi Khazri engages with the MHSC, this Monday, and while the club still wishes recruit two men first : a defensive midfielder and a right-back, as we have already indicated. On the other hand, unless Stephy Mavididi leaves, which is not in the news, the transfer window will be over on the offensive level.
The internationals were not present. They’ll be back in a week, except Yanis Guermouche who wanted to shorten his vacation to be there from day one of the preparation. To start, the boys took their marks, collected their belongings, got to know the newcomers and greeted the staff and management, before the blood tests started, the physical and medical tests, then the first training sessions.
MHSC will face an English club for their last friendly match this summer. It will be facing Crystal Palace July 30 in London. Before that, the Montpellier have four games scheduled against Rodez in Grammont, theEspanyol Barcelona in Barcelona, Clermont-Ferrand in Millau and Toulouse in Agde. They will start the championship on August 6 or 7 against Troyes..
The coming season: World Cup + four downhills
NL: We innovate. It will be quite complicated, especially with the last match in November, the World Cup and a cut. We tried to put a system in place. It’s been a complicated year with four runs already. It’s quite special for the French championship. It’s a special year that we approach with a lot of desire, but a lot of questions. The organization will be complicated to set up.
ODO: On the sporting level, it was a discussion with all the staff, to manage this particular season as well as possible. There will be a festival for the fall and winter, which is likely to be special. Does it change the physical preparation? No, there won’t be a big upheaval. There will be a second preparation and special management of the internationals who will be at the World Cup, recovery time to manage. It’s a bit the same this summer, with boys who had international matches. They are not there this morning (…) There will normally be friendly matches this winter.
The ambitions of the club
NL: Finish in the top eight. Quite simply. We weren’t far from it last year, and then there was an end to the season that was not cataclysmic, but not far off. It’s up to us to analyze everything to attack and finish in the top eight, which is the club’s objective every season (…) The page has been turned. It’s a new season, a new squad. You always have to use the good, the bad. We have to move on. We are not going to perpetually dwell on the last four months of the championship. The next season? It will excite me or it will worry me as the season progresses. For the moment, we are only at the beginning, everyone is beautiful, everyone is happy. We’ll see when we’re in the hardwood in November. We will make a first assessment on November 16 or 17, before the World Cup. This is where I’ll tell you if I’m excited because we’re going through something interesting, or if I’m worried. For the moment, we are approaching it with a lot of ambition, a lot of desire, and with a spirit in which we want to do great things.
ODO: We have analyzed a lot throughout this end of the season and the pre-season. The idea is to find out why it worked less well. and use it to bounce back. Ask yourself what we put in place, what we change, what we keep. We will try to do the best, as usual, with different internal operations. There may be different internal workings, change things at the preparation level. What we also wanted was to bring more competition at the group level. We had a reflection on small details on a daily basis, and the desire to expand the group. Add more quality. It will excite me or worry me as the season progresses. For the moment, everyone is beautiful, everyone is happy. We will take stock at the time of the World Cup. We approach it with a lot of ambition, the desire to do great things.
The transfer window
LN: Wahbi is having his medical examination. It will certainly be validated tonight or tomorrow. Afterwards, we are looking for two or three other players for the coach, because my coach wants players so I find players for him. When they are free, it is easier. When they are under contract, you have to negotiate loans, a transfer. It’s longer. We are on two or three other files which could have been settled this weekend, but which last. It’s normal. At the start of the transfer window, the clubs did not give us a gift. We are going forward. I would like the group to be as complete as possible before the camp, for the coach to have his group on the 9th or 10th. What hasn’t happened to us for a long time.
ODO: Players gone, we try to replace them as best we can. We need competition in all positions, to have a choice. We got off to a good start. We want to have them as soon as possible, but it’s not always easy. We have leads, interesting things to start with. Khazri joining us. It will bring experience. We are still in search. So far, we’re not bad. Clement Vidal? Two or three things to settle, it was validated by Ajaccio, by us. I have no regrets. If we had wanted to keep him, he would have stayed at the club. In life, there is no regret. He flourished at Ajaccio, it was the only club that made a proposal. I’m very happy about it. We can’t keep everyone. I wish him success. He is endearing, he has enormous qualities. I am happy for him. We have other young people who are there, who join the pro group (…) For Stephy Mavididi, there is no offer that suits us. I think if the coach keeps him, he will be happy and delighted to keep Stephy.
A defensive midfielder? Yes, we are looking for a very defensive midfielder. Perhaps more than we have, to expand in this sector (…) We are still looking for a right side, to replace Junior Sambia who has left. We to Enzo who is very young, we will give him time to climb.
The arrival of Wahbi Khazri
ODO: We had targeted quite a few boys. Wahbi’s experience in Ligue 1 is an undeniable advantage. He has quality, he is a Tunisian international. We had other profiles, but his interests us, otherwise we wouldn’t have validated it (…) Young people? We are starting to have a backbone of young people in the club. We must also continue in this direction. Others grow behind. The door can be opened, but there are conditions. We will explain it. Some showed the way last season, others can rush behind. Training should be emphasized. It also gives an identity. It’s super important.
The extension of Téji Savanier
NL: He is happy and delighted to extend. He was approached by many clubs. He had meetings. This unsettled him for a while. It made him think. It’s human when clubs of a certain level come to see you. He now has a 100% pailladin spirit. We need Téji a lot, he’s our captain, but we need the Téji from the start of the season, the one who plays great games. We rely heavily on him. It’s up to him to perform well, as he had done until December.
The future Louis Nicollin stadium
NL: Still a few details to settle. We are getting closer to the end of the tunnel. We will see the end of it. I hope that in July, we will have everything ready to file the permit. But hey, it’s France, you always need papers. It’s a little complicated. But this stadium, if it comes out… we will have deserved it.
A new physical preparation:
ODO: We had seen that Benjamin was well solicited in terms of collective, but also individually by the players. Need an extra trainer, who will work on the relay between the physiotherapists and the field. He will come to support Benjamin in the field, for the first part of the season, already, with the athletic preparation which is very important. The players also need to be followed, they require more work. This puts a lot of strain on the staff. His role will be to support Benjamin in addition, in this individual part, then with the medical staff.
The game project
ODO: The first game project will be to work on the defensive side. What we missed for part of the season. More discipline, more rigor at the defensive level, to be able to work behind on the offensive level. The priority will be on this, from the first friendly matches and the first training sessions. The first meetings will focus on this (…) This may require a change of system. We will see according to the players who will arrive, those who are there, according to the workforce that we will have.
Excerpts – The first words of the first three recruits
Arnaud Nordin, 24, has turned the page with the Greens, his training club. The striker had a horrible end to the season, with a descent into Ligue 2.
Casserole Maouassa, 23, is on loan from Brugges for one season, with no visibility yet on the next one, he told us. The left side wants to come back in force, in Ligue 1, he who was convinced to join Montpellier by his former friends, Jordan Ferri and Téji Savanier, in particular.
Theo Sainte-Luce left Nîmes for Montpellier. At 23, he has very little experience in Ligue 1 and will be the understudy of Faitout Maouassa, on paper. One day he already had as a “competitor” in the left lane, among the crocs.