CF Montreal | Wilfried Nancy uses his system wisely

(Montreal) CF Montreal head coach Wilfried Nancy doesn’t like to talk about a winning recipe, but he’s definitely found a way to bring out the best in all of his players this season.

The Montreal troupe began a grueling series of six games in 21 days on Saturday by defeating the Chicago Fire 2-0. Although her plans changed during the game due to a red card awarded to Ismaël Koné, she showed no signs of panic.

It was during the last campaign that Nancy started to establish some rotation among their players and he has taken his vision and system even further this season, with resounding success.

Almost every player used this season except one, defender Robert Thorkelsson, has had at least one start. But what grabs the most attention is how much flair Nancy seems to have when making changes or adjustments to his squad.

During Monday’s practice, two players away from the duel against the New York Red Bulls at Stade Saputo, Nancy talked about this way of using her players, which currently allows the Montreal team to occupy the second place. of the Eastern Association.

“In training, everyone has to assimilate the concepts and afterwards, I base my choices on several factors. Yes, I base it on performance, but also on the tactical aspect, the mental aspect or the moment. I assume the players are working well so I go based on what I can do to help the team win the game,” he explained.

Nancy took Argentinian midfielder Joaquin Torres as an example. The latter hadn’t started a game since August 3, but against the Fire, he quickly made his presence felt and was one of the architects of CF Montreal’s first goal.

“I felt that Joaquin could do us good with his ability to play on the line and I knew that if he played in the rhythm, compared to what we had put in place, he could bring something” , mentioned the head coach.

After Koné’s expulsion, Nancy made five changes in the second half and the Bleu-Blanc-noir still muzzled the Fire for more than 45 minutes, despite one less man.

Applying these rotations in attack, in the middle of the field, in defense or in front of the net is not a concept given to all teams, but Nancy has implemented its system so well that CF Montreal players do not see any change in their way of playing or in the quality of their game.

Canadian defender Alistair Johnston even believes that his team gets a small advantage when faced with an opponent.

“It’s great fun to be part of a system like that just because you know that no matter what happens, the next player can step up and have an important role. We are not worried about facing anyone. We lay out our game plan of how we want to use our system against each team. It forces your opponent to adjust to your game rather than the other way around,” he observed.

Nancy said forward Kei Kamara (leg) and defender Rudy Camacho (shoulder) could return to action on Sunday against Toronto FC. In the case of striker Mason Toye, who left Saturday’s game with a stomach ache, his presence against the Red Bulls is in doubt.

New position for Leduc

In addition, CF Montreal announced Monday that Patrick Leduc has become the new Director, Soccer Culture and Stakeholder Relations, leaving the position of Director of the Academy to Marinos Papageorgopoulos.

The team indicated that Leduc would act as an expert and resource person for the marketing and communications department for all activities to develop and promote soccer culture to CF Montreal stakeholders.

“It is essential for us to promote soccer culture and continue to reconnect with the community,” said CF Montreal President and CEO Gabriel Gervais. Patrick’s dynamism and his knowledge of the world of soccer and the culture of the Club will allow him to act as a vector of change in the way our brand will be delivered to our supporters. »

Also, CF Montreal will organize Wednesday morning at the Saputo stadium the first panel “Women in sport”.

The event aims to address topics such as gender equality in the sports industry, media coverage and pay equity. Two bilingual panels with distinct themes will be offered to participants.