Hernán Losada recognizes this: “there are things to correct, to improve” in his ways of doing things. But the past is the past. And the new head coach of CF Montreal is ready to be “a better person, a better coach”.
9e head coach in the history of the CFM in MLS met the Montreal media for the first time, Thursday morning, within the walls of the Center Nutrilait. At his side, the president and CEO, Gabriel Gervais, presented him as “an exceptional young coach” who has demonstrated that he believes in the club’s “project” and who “is committed to developing [les] players”.
When Losada’s name was released on Wednesday, a quick search revealed some of the reasons why he was fired by DC United after 15 months in charge of the club, in April 2022. If explained that he had positively “shaken” the culture of the club, we especially told of his intransigence towards his players in training.
On this subject, the coach did not slip away, acknowledging that he “made mistakes”. He notably recounted having sometimes been “too honest” and having lacked “communication with the staff of the club”, recalling in passing that this was his first experience in MLS, after 15 years in Belgium (as player or coach).
“There are a lot of things that I took for myself and I said to myself: ok, now we are going to improve this and keep this. Because I also did good things, ”he laughed.
“It’s a process. I think that’s part of being a coach, being a human. It’s important to detect errors in order to improve them, but also to be honest and recognize what we have done well. »
Losada, who speaks French, English, Spanish and Flemish, has also mentioned having received around twenty messages from former players and members of the DC United organization congratulating him on his new position.
Not “the bad guy”
To his left, the vice-president and chief sports officer, Olivier Renard, assured that he had done his homework before hiring the 40-year-old Argentinian.
“I don’t know the situation at DC United, but when Hernán arrived there he changed a lot of things. This is probably the person who changed everything, he mentioned. In Montreal, it’s not that. I’ve made decisions before. We talked about the philosophy in the locker room, the rules with players and fans, the respect we should have for each other. »
In Montreal, Losada will not be “the bad guy”, according to Renard, who has faced his new coach on Belgian courts in the past. However, he will have to explain his decisions to the players in the “new way”, he argued.
“Communication with the players is not the same as when we started playing. It’s also my job to try to make it better like we did with Wil [Wilfried Nancy]. We had many problems in the locker room that nobody knew about in the last two years. »
Regarding the story told in the Washington media that Losada forced his players to weigh themselves twice a week – “If you were three pounds overweight, you were fined,” a DC United source told The Athletic – , Renard does not care. On the contrary.
“I don’t know if it’s true, but I hope it will be three times,” he said. I was 19 at the professional level and it was like that everywhere. »
“I prefer to have a coach where we ask ourselves questions because he is too professional than someone who is too bad, he continued. I clearly prefer the extreme in professionalism. It’s up to us to water down our wine and our players to be more professional because that’s what we want. »
attacking soccer
According to Olivier Renard, several agents contacted him to propose the candidacy of different coaches. But “Hernán was really the person with whom [les dirigeants] were confident from the start,” he said. In addition to the language, it is “his footballing vision”, his “very attacking” style, which convinced them.
“We are not going to change everything. It is the coach who will adapt to the club and not the other way around. That he knows very well. That’s how it worked with Wil too when we decided to give him a chance. I never hid on that. It’s a philosophy that I love. I’ve always said that I’d rather see 3-3 than 0-0. »
Hernán Losada knows he has big shoes to fill after the departure of Nancy, who led the club to the best season in its history in MLS. But he says he is confident of having in his hands a team that is still “competitive”, despite the departure of certain good players to Europe.
“I arrive in the philosophy of Montreal. You arrive in a team, a structure where they already know how to play, what they need as a profile. It will make my life easier and that of the players too. »
“It’s a challenge to repeat what you’ve done this year, and I’m sure we’ll get there. »
They said
I built my philosophy around what you can do to win the game, to have more chances to score, to be both offensive and defensively stable. I think football is a spectacle. You have to give the followers something to make them want to come back.
Hernán Losada on his philosophy as a coach
There are always things to learn, but the way to explain it is important. That’s why he will have a group of people around him to help him grow as a coach, not just in a footballing way.
Olivier Fox
It’s up to me to be a better coach. I want to be and I’m ready to be. That’s why I’m so grateful to have this opportunity with Montreal. […] I have absolutely nothing to hide. Then you will form your own opinion.
Hernan Losada
I could have gone for an old one, so everyone would be happy. But I try to make the best decisions for the club.
Olivier Fox