If Hernán Losada expects to receive a vote of confidence from the management of CF Montreal, he will have to wait.
No, the decision has not yet been made regarding the future of the head coach of the Bleu-blanc-noir. Faith of President Gabriel Gervais, met by journalists from The Press Tuesday morning.
The Argentine technician has, however, been met by his superiors since the end of season report, reveals Gervais. We don’t know what was said in private. But in public, both on the part of the president and the sports director Olivier Renard, we tend to note the negative well before the positive.
“I’ll tell you, I didn’t like the way the last match went,” Gervais explained straight away, when asked about the future of Hernán Losada.
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Hernán Losada, head coach of CF Montreal
We are sitting in his office at the Saputo stadium, whose large windows give beautiful views of the Olympic Stadium mast and the lawn of the CFM enclosure.
Speaking of the last match, Gervais refers to the 2-1 defeat against the Crew in Columbus. It was the final duel of the season for the CFM, and it was crucial for a playoff qualification. Series which ultimately escaped him due to the last-minute victory of the New York Red Bulls in Nashville.
“Yes, of course, to have lost 2-1 [a été déterminant]. But it’s more about how the players performed during the match. […] I didn’t see this sense of urgency on the ground. »
He gives examples that “struck” him. On corners, “players didn’t seem to be sprinting toward the corner flag in the second half.” Same thing during changes.
What is the message we gave to these players so that they are ready for this match, and to win it?
Gabriel Gervais, president of CF Montreal
More generally, Gervais “struggles to understand” why his team seemed so “disorganized” abroad in 2023, while they were “extremely competitive” at home.
“I’ve been on the road a lot with the team, and it seems like it wasn’t there. The soccer we were playing was not the soccer we want to see. »
He says he is “in agreement” with the comments made in the assessment of his sports director Olivier Renard, namely that “even if we had returned [en séries] out the back door, we wouldn’t have been satisfied with the overall way we played.”
Now is the time to examine the work of Losada and his technical staff “as a whole,” maintains Gervais.
“The decision belongs to Olivier Renard,” he said, adding that the latter has his support. “The decision will really come from the sporting side. »
“Did we do the most we could? »
So let’s talk about the sporting side.
It was mentioned to him that this season, Losada was unable to get the best out of certain young players that the club is seeking to develop according to its business model, in this case the Quebecer Sean Rea. Gervais goes even further by listing some figures in the workforce “on the periphery, who have not evolved as much”. He cites Jojea Kwizera and Ousman Jabang in particular.
Mahala Opoku also “showed this spark” without being decisive, according to the president. He also said he “felt a lot of energy” from Bryce Duke when he arrived. “After that, it died down. »
This is one of the evaluations that we must make. Have we done the most we can with these young people?
Gabriel Gervais, president of CF Montreal
But all is not dark in this regard either.
“If I take a step back, everyone had a chance this year, including the young people. »
He mentions the very good development of Jonathan Sirois, Nathan Saliba, Mathieu Choinière. The latter “is now a star in the league”. But he also returns to the objectives that the club has not achieved in 2023.
“If we look at the whole season, we are not satisfied with the final result. Not just for not having entered the playoffs, but for not having won a trophy. »
Gervais remembers the Canadian Championship final lost in Vancouver against the Whitecaps. “If this match is at Saputo stadium, I am convinced that we will win it, the way we played at home. »
“Each time, I had the impression that we were close to achieving certain objectives, and then we fell short. Same thing in the Leagues Cup. We were there, and ultimately, we missed our opportunities. »
“Exceptional work”
If the question of Hernán Losada’s future remains unresolved in this 1er November, there are no questions at all regarding the sporting direction of the club.
Gabriel Gervais speaks of “exceptional work” carried out by Olivier Renard and his deputy Vassili Cremanzidis, “with the budget we gave them”.
When I look at what[Olivier] does, what it brings, this culture of having young local Quebecers on the ground. I haven’t seen that since [mes années de joueur]. It’s a matter of great pride. […] It’s in our DNA.
Gabriel Gervais, president of CF Montreal
Renard revealed in the report that the “offensive sector” of CF Montreal had to be “retouched”. Given the club’s setbacks in attack in 2023, could a larger budget be released to find a major offensive player?
Gervais recalls that eight of the nine teams with the lowest payrolls in MLS qualified for the playoffs this year, the only one excluded being CF Montreal. Translation: paying more for players does not guarantee any sporting results.
“We are going to make wise choices for the good of the club in the long term,” he says cautiously. But we proved that by forming a team, you can be successful. »
The president of the CFM specifies, however, that in the organization of the club, he prefers that its leaders, “whether on the technical side, marketing, sales, partnerships”, present their budgets to the executive, and not the other way around. .
“We’re right in it,” he emphasizes, before a smile takes over his face. At the Christmas party, the budget must be closed! »