CF Montreal | Wilfried Nancy gives his soccer lesson

Wilfried Nancy says it bluntly: the style of play he wants his players to apply on the pitch, it “is not easy”.

“I ask them to put their ego in danger, to be courageous, he explains in a virtual interview with The Press. […] I assume that in my approach and in the values ​​that I advocate, taking initiatives in life brings you something even if you do not succeed. You have more confidence, more ambition. »

Why are we talking to you specifically about the strategies of the head coach of CF Montreal on this balmy Saturday morning?

This is because they have been the subject of debate and questions, among supporters as well as among journalists, in recent weeks. The hit and miss results of the Montreal XI at the start of the MLS season have motivated criticism. The club allowed 15 goals in 6 games. Several of them have been described as “ridiculous” or “avoidable”.

But Nancy will not deviate from her philosophy. His answer when asked about it is unequivocal.

Don’t worry, he is not threatening here to leave for other skies. Far from there. He enjoys his role as “coach trainer” very well.

“The reason why I do this job goes beyond winning or losing. I do this job to create a synergy, a union, a collective dynamic with the guys. Afterwards, the guys express themselves on the pitch in relation to a game project. That’s why I never forget the players. Because I put them in danger. […] They take pleasure in it. »

But then, what is his famous system? you are probably wondering at this precise moment of your reading.

Let’s dive together.

“In one pass, or two, we can get to the goal”

“If I sum up my game model, it’s creativity inside the structure,” explains Nancy on the other side of the screen, sitting in her office at the Center Nutrilait.

It is often said that the CFM head coach wants to build the game from the back. The popular belief is that the goalkeeper must always make the short pass to his defender in front of him. That the defender must then put back in midfield, then we gradually move up the field.

It is from this conception that the strongest criticism emanates. Not least because the short pass in front of the net has led to several costly turnovers in 2022.

« Ce n’est pas que j’essaie de partir de l’arrière, corrige Nancy. L’objectif est d’éliminer le plus de lignes possible pour aller au but. »

Les « lignes » sont le résultat des positions des joueurs sur la pelouse. Une formation classique du 4-4-2, par exemple, consiste en quatre défenseurs, deux ailiers et deux milieux de terrain centraux, ainsi que deux attaquants de pointe. En 2022, on a vu le CF Montréal en position de 3-4-3 ou en 3-4-2-1, donc avec une défense à trois.

Sans aller dans le détail, on peut simplement imaginer que si le ballon est au pied du gardien, il faut généralement traverser au moins trois rideaux de joueurs adverses pour se rendre au but.

« Si l’équipe adverse ne défend pas bien, si elle est tout écartée, pourquoi ferait-on des passes ? demande Nancy. En une passe, ou deux, on peut aller au but. »

« Par contre, si elle est bien en place, notre projet de jeu, c’est d’essayer de trouver une ouverture pour éliminer les lignes. Soit on va porter un peu plus la balle, soit on va faire plus de passes pour que les espaces s’ouvrent et qu’on soit capables de les pénétrer. »

Il compare son idée à ce qui se fait chez d’autres équipes. Comme celles qui décident d’utiliser le long botté du gardien pour mettre le ballon en jeu, et se battre pour la possession par la suite.

« Il y a des équipes qui préfèrent avoir le ballon et l’envoyer devant, puis jouer sur les deuxièmes ballons. Je respecte ça, mais ce n’est pas mon approche. Je pars du principe que plus on arrive à éliminer des lignes avec l’équipe adverse qui vient nous chercher, si on le fait bien, il y a automatiquement une occasion de but. »

Le défenseur Alistair Johnston, rencontré en mars avant la dernière trêve internationale, avait expliqué la structure montréalaise en d’autres termes.

« On veut absorber la pression et jouer de l’arrière, avait-il analysé. En tant que défenseur, tu te retrouves dans de nombreuses batailles à un contre un. »

Des altercations avec les joueurs adverses les plus avancés, notamment.

« Tu forces les ailiers et les attaquants à défendre et c’est la dernière chose qu’ils veulent faire. »

On revient à Nancy.

« Mon gardien peut jouer avec sa deuxième ligne, donc la ligne du milieu de terrain, précise l’entraîneur-chef. Il peut jouer avec sa ligne d’attaquants. Il n’y a pas de problème. Ce qui m’importe, c’est vraiment de jouer en fonction de l’opposition. »

À ce moment, Wilfried Nancy met le dos de sa main ouverte devant la caméra pour illustrer son propos.

« Si l’opposition est fermée comme ça [il resserre ses doigts les uns contre les autres]we will try to make passes so that the opposition opens [il écarte ses doigts] and then we enter [il insère l’index de son autre main en serpentin entre ses doigts écartés]. If the opposition is in place, we will try to find an opening to play in space. That’s why I believe that when you come from the back and it’s done well, you automatically have a goal situation. »

If all goes well, it creates exciting, fast play, which disconcerts the opponent. But what has been lacking so far “is the execution”.

“My team is young, concedes the coach. She lacks experience at a certain point. »

“Not in the same category” as the other teams

We said it earlier: Wilfried Nancy sees himself as a “training coach”.

“I know very well where I am,” he said. I know that I am in a club where we are not going to spend money on stars, or very little. So, I have to train the players I have on hand. […] We have to adjust, make them progress. »

He refers to the year 2021, a season that “was not normal”. CF Montreal had to move to the United States for the first half of its season… which didn’t prevent it from defying all odds and coming within a hair’s breadth of qualifying for the playoffs.

“I am someone who advocates gambling, who likes to take risks. If we hadn’t done that last year, we wouldn’t have written the history we wrote. […] You can’t have butter and butter’s money. The club needs to be aware of that. We are. The fans also need to be aware of this. »

Without limits

Nancy is asked if the current situation of the club will allow her in some future to fight for a championship – the MLS Cup, in this case.

“I’m going to be very careful because here, we’re walking on eggshells,” he begins by answering. The philosophy I have with my team is to be limitless. Being limitless means you can win the MLS Cup, just as you can’t make the playoffs. »

“I hope we will win a championship. It is something that is fabulous. Why not think about that? We are competitors. Yes, of course, there are level differences, no problem. This is why sport is extraordinary. Everything is possible. »

Wilfried Nancy says it himself: “We are not at all in the same category with the other teams. »

“On the other hand, when we are on the ground, we play our football”, he concludes, in a rebellious tone.

For the pleasure of playing

The game philosophy advocated by CF Montreal is intrinsic to that of its coach, Wilfried Nancy. But according to sports director Olivier Renard, everything starts from the top.

“With us, a coach must comply with the club’s philosophy to agree to be a coach,” he says on the phone.

“Basically, it’s me who asks to have a game with a sporting identity, which resembles what we are doing,” adds Renard.

“The game philosophy of starting from the back, I know it’s a bit of a delicate subject at the moment because we’ve conceded ridiculous goals since the start of the season by taking too many risks. But it is not the coach who asks to take risks like that in the 16m. Yes, he wants clean football. But the players have to be mature enough to know if the pass is risky or not risky. »

Creativity in a structure

Laurent Ciman, assistant coach of Nancy, is happy to see the establishment of this structure at CF Montreal.

“We have an identity,” he said over the phone. We didn’t have one in the past and that annoyed me a bit. We always positioned ourselves as victims. We were waiting. And we went on the counterattack. That was how we scored most of our goals. »

“There, we have a style of play, an identity, a philosophy, we want to put it in place, to offer attractive and effective football. The keys are given to the players. It’s up to them to choose and say, “This is the best solution available to me.” »

His point echoes Nancy’s theory supported in the first tab: creativity inside the structure.

“The players must be in very specific positions, explains Wilfried Nancy. But within these very specific positions, it is they who develop their game in relation to the game plan and in relation to the opponent. It’s something that is – if I may say so – enjoyable. We give autonomy to the players while respecting a game plan.

A model appreciated by players

This autonomy is welcome, according to Alistair Johnston.

“The responsibility that is placed on the defenders is something that we long for,” said the Canadian international. […] The coach wants us to play with intensity, to take risks. Obviously, if you play with fire, you get burned from time to time. But when everything works, we pull out all the stops. »

Because yes, players love it, this game model.

“It was one of the first things that Djordje Mihailovic said to me after a year, says Olivier Renard. Kamal Miller too. They told me about the pleasure they had in playing. Alistair Johnston comes to us largely because when he played against us with Nashville, he spoke with his teammates about the fact that we had a good style of play.

Pleasure and emotions

“I watched the games and was intrigued to see how much freedom they had to move forward,” Johnston said in March.

“There are players who have great results with their team, but who have no fun, adds Olivier Renard. And that is serious. »

“Pleasure is the watchword,” argues Nancy. I often say to players: “Guys, you are not paramedics, you are not saving lives, you are there to give people emotions.” »

“Me, what I control is the game project, according to Nancy. I want to have an exciting team to watch. Not to be beautiful, even if I like it, I’m not going to hide it. But for me, my belief is that it’s the best way to win a game. »