CF Montreal’s recent 0-0 draw against Nashville SC wasn’t greeted with confetti and banners, but some soul-searching appears to have been done.
The challenge now will be whether the bar can be raised.
In recent weeks, the Bleu-blanc-noir has had serious problems with intensity and suffered some embarrassing setbacks during its streak of nine games without a win (0-5-4), in all competitions.
On the microphone, several players said that the team had to look in the mirror if it wanted to get back on the path to victory. Against the Tennessee troops on Saturday, CF Montreal presented a constant effort and showed ambition, showing signs that they may have started to get their head above water.
Although imperfect, this performance pleased head coach Laurent Courtois, but it should not stop there.
“The guys performed in areas of play that we expect. The challenge, for me and my staff, is to see how it becomes a standard and not a jerk. For the moment, it’s positive, and it’s the base, but we’ll see if we can add a little more precision in the final third,” Courtois said on Tuesday before training at the Nutrilait Center.
His men were able to buzz around Nashville SC territory and fired off some quality shots, but they lacked precision and finishing at the opposing net. The intentions were good, with a few exceptions.
Two situations in particular, involving Jules-Anthony Vilsaint and Ariel Lassiter, could have allowed the Montrealers to open their score, but the shot was favored by the pass on the flank. As is often the case during difficult periods, players sometimes want to do a little too much to shake the team out of its torpor and decision-making is not always on point.
Vilsaint, however, does not think that this is what is currently happening within the Bleu-blanc-noir, and he blamed himself for the game which he forced a little too much in the enemy’s final third.
“We don’t want to overdo it, but for sure during the tough times we want to raise our level of play. If we’re not perfect and we make mistakes, then I think that’s going to come with it. ‘experience. I always said I took a lot of shots and wasn’t selfish, but at that moment I should have passed to Mathieu [Choinière]. It was my fault,” admitted the Quebecer.
By accepting the blame the way he did, Vilsaint in a way imitated his head coach, who often mentioned that he needed to better prepare his players to deal with these types of situations. With his trademark humility, Courtois explained what he can do to help them progress in times of lethargy.
“It’s to continue to emphasize the situations and the choices, to try to clarify the message,” he noted. It’s not a matter of taking the blame or not, it’s about making adjustments for next time. I don’t want my players to self-flagellate. There is a notion of choices that really good players make to help the team win, and those opportunities will come for them too. It’s knowing how to maximize these situations. »
CF Montreal (3-7-4) will have to maximize them against its next opponents, DC United (4-5-6), Wednesday evening at Saputo stadium. The Washington team is known for giving headaches to attackers, in addition to overusing its star player, Christian Benteke.
Benteke, who has already scored 11 goals this season, is one of the best players in MLS for aerial duels and when the ball comes into the penalty area, he is often in a good position to cause trouble.
The Bleu-blanc-noir has the elements to counter the six-foot-three-inch colossus, but he will have to be cunning to limit his actions near the net.
“If you don’t win your duels, you have to at least get the second balls. It will be difficult to win the first duel against Benteke, but you have to be smarter. Maybe we can push him a little before he jumps to throw him off balance. It’s their game plan to try long balls to him, and I’m sure our coaches have a plan for that,” said midfielder Bryce Duke, who played just 17 minutes in the loss. 1-0 suffered in Washington in March.
Courtois announced that CF Montreal would have striker Raheem Edwards and midfielder Nathan Saliba back in its ranks for Wednesday’s match. According to him, attackers Kwadwo Opoku (ankle), Matias Coccaro (knee) and Mason Toye (hamstring) are progressing well, while attacker Josef Martinez (knee) returned to Montreal a few days ago.