Zachary Brault-Guillard was “an indisputable starter” under Thierry Henry. But he admits that there has been a bit of “questioning” under Wilfried Nancy this season.
This is because after starting the season as a holder, the defender was removed from the starting lineup a few times at mid-term.
“It is true that the coach made his choices in the middle of the season, underlines Brault-Guillard at the end of the line. But afterwards, I proved that I no longer deserved my place on the right, and I didn’t move. ”
“On some things, I didn’t understand what he wanted me to work on. In some positions, when I was more in the middle, when I was more defender or in between. But I knew how to find myself. ”
In response to questions about Zachary Brault-Guillard in videoconference, Wilfried Nancy speaks of an “interesting potential” from the man he nicknamed Zacko.
“He could have done better” this season, he says bluntly. “Of course he has progressed, like all the players. He is able to have more tactical flexibility. ”
“Its qualities, we know them, adds the technician. He goes fast, he is powerful. Now, the challenge that I give him for the future years, whether at home, elsewhere or in his life as a professional player, is that he forgets his speed and that he also realizes that there is playing the game, the right timing and the right decisions in the last third. ”
Brault-Guillard says he had “more freedoms”. “I was a little less defensive and a little higher on the pitch, with more opportunities to see myself in the last 30 meters. After that, I have to work on my offensive accuracy since I am not an offensive player at the base. ”
“He got better”
Brault-Guillard says he continues to “continue his ascent”, adding that he “begins to be more and more effective offensively, but also defensively”.
“I try to be very solid behind, not to create faults that weigh on the team. ”
Wilfried Nancy agrees.
PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, PRESS ARCHIVES
Wilfried Nancy, last March
Defensively, he improved on positioning. It is much more in anticipation. Before, he was in reaction. […] He had a good margin of progress.
Wilfried Nancy, CF Montreal head coach
“I try to give the best of myself,” explains the 22-year-old. I find that this year, we have been much stronger than the years before. We have a better game system. ”
This system of play, CF Montreal will hope to use it wisely this Sunday, during the final of the Canadian Championship against its lifelong rival, Toronto FC.
“This year, the games against this team have been quite successful for us,” said Brault-Guillard. It’s up to us to do well, it’s only a game, everything can go quickly on both sides. ”
Zachary Brault-Guillard has a background as a rugby player. Is there an aspect of this sport that he incorporates into his soccer?
“If there’s a mess on the pitch, I’ll always be there,” he says. I always protect my teammates. It’s a bit like that in rugby: you protect your teammates, they are part of the family. We must be united. ”
For a constant battle like a final against a historic rival, which also gives access to the Champions League, CF Montreal will need it.
From the past to the future
At 22, Zachary Brault-Guillard has already seen it, from the country … even if he “does not remember everything because [qu’il était] quite small “.
He was born in Haiti and adopted by a Canadian father and a French mother at the age of 6 months. The work of his father, doctor of the world, made him move often in his youth: he lived in Canada, discovered Afghanistan and Israel, before settling in France at the age of 7.
“I started in Paris, where I played rugby,” he says. Afterwards, my parents moved not far from Lyon, in Ain, for a restaurant. It worked well at first, but then it didn’t work as well. I also continued rugby, but I decided to switch to football, and it became my professional sport. ”
The right-back later joined the Olympique Lyonnais training center, then signed a first professional contract in May 2018. The Montreal Impact then made him a loan offer for a year.
In Lyon, I would have liked to play, but at the time, there were a lot of people at my post. I was the fifth right-back, so it was a bit complicated to get me to play.
Zachary Brault-Guillard
He officially transferred to the Montreal club in January 2020, with a contract valid until December 31, 2021 with two option years. Casually, this date is approaching.
“At the moment, the club does not say much, underlines Brault-Guillard. [Les responsables] have to make a decision. I am open to discussion. I had a good season, so we’ll see. ”
Wilfried Nancy offers a possible answer.
“He has to love his job, and I’m not saying he doesn’t like it,” says the coach. I mean in training he is one of the players who has to train hard all the time. ”
“He has to grow even more, my little Zacko. ”
But for Brault-Guillard, there are other issues to be addressed before that of the contract.
“I do not take too much head on it, advance the defender. Already, I want to finish the season with a trophy. […] The most important thing is to think about this game, and I will ask myself other questions at the end of the year, when I am on vacation. ”
Difficulty integrating a successful selection
You can’t have an interview with a Canadian international without asking him what he thinks of the current successes of the national team. That’s good, he broaches the subject himself.
“We have a very good competitive team in Canada, so it is sure that it is not as easy to turn in selection”, explains the one who was recalled during the October window, without disputing minutes. “There are a lot of players who are having great seasons. The team is running well. This bodes well for Canada in the months and years to come. ”
“With the coach, I have a really good relationship,” he said, referring to coach John Herdman. “There are players who are a bit more managerial, so it’s a bit more complicated to keep the squad going when everything is going well. But the number one goal is to qualify for the World Cup in 2022. That’s the most important thing. ”