On the eve of his first on the VAFC bench in Thionville, Vincent Hognon takes stock of the situation and expects an immediate reaction from his playerswho according to him have the quality to get back on track and aim higher.
Bakaye Dibassy impatiently awaited
“We have a few injuries. Jean Louchet, obviously. Bakaye Dibassy, who will normally return after the break. I expect him to do us a lot of good because in training, we already feel the maturity of his game. At times, we lack it a little behind. Souleymane Basse is injured in his quadriceps after his foot injury. Sambou Sissoko, too, is injured. All these players, apart from Jean Louchet, will be present from the start. »
An eventful first week for Vincent Hognon
We had a busy week. There are the obligations, the press conferences, the arrival, the meeting with the group, with the staff, the first training sessions, the videos, a lot of things to do. I'm delighted with it, it feels good to dive back into it. At club level, it is exceptional for this level in terms of training conditions. We have no excuses for that, we are in perfect conditions to work well. This is excellent, we can lay the foundations for really solid work. There is a staff where there is competence, we are well structured, it is already oiled and it already works very well.
Then the players. It's important because without the players, if they don't respond, we're nothing. We have to be together, try to form a unit. There are players who, for some, are a little touched, a little sad. I think it's a little exacerbated by the fact that they had high expectations from this season being really at the top of the rankings, so the disappointment is even greater today to be almost at the bottom of the rankings. A little disappointment there, but rather good answers, good interviews, and good sessions too. It wasn't bad, but these sessions require confirmation in competition, starting on Sunday. »
Thionville, the perfect trap?
“How should we approach this match? Like a Coupe de France match. Is there a real favorite today? This is not to put pressure on Thionville, but we are a team rather at the bottom of the National ranking, against a team with resources which plays at home. The cup is so random and so unpredictable that I am very wary, because this team has qualities, many players go through the training centers of Nancy, of Metz, which I have known elsewhere, for many of them, with quality. It's a team that has the means, which has won twice in a row, I think. I expect the behavior of my team. How are we going to be in this match? How will we respond to the instructions? How will we respond to the fight and the athletic challenge? And to respond is to be present.
I told the players, some of them played at a higher level, it's not enough.
We want to be present and an actor in this match, and it is important for me to know who will respond. It's a truism, but determination and duels count. But this is even more the case in the Coupe de France. This is the prerequisite: to play football, you have to make an effort, be well organized and put maximum determination into trying to hurt the opponent offensively and defensively. Once you have that, you can express yourself in the game. But lately, he has missed a lot of things. I told the players, some of them played at a higher level, it's not enough. I want to change that, and we will first start with this fighting state of mind that we need to find in order to fight. Then we're going to play, because we have players to play football. But in Coupe de France matches, if we only think about playing ball, I think we could be in for big disappointments. »
Combat, main element of Vincent Hognon’s speech
“I'm going to say it for a while: we're going to have to be disciplined, rigorous, and in much less danger defensively. Lately, as soon as there is an (adversary) attack, there is danger. This is not possible. Of course we are not going to revolutionize everything overnight, but in terms of attitudes, I have great expectations. This match is a first test. It's not in one week and three sessions that we're going to change everything, obviously it will probably take a little time.
I, like everyone, would like this to change immediately, like everyone else. But already the attitude, all the time, we have to be there. We do not have the right here not to be present in the attitude. Afterwards, at times, you come up against a team that is better than you, who can put you in difficulty. But I think that if we have the right attitude, we can put a lot of teams in difficulty. But there is a prerequisite to all that, it is investment, determination, athletic investment, mental investment, concentration. I will constantly emphasize this. »
Source : VAFC
Photo credits: Anthony Dibon/Icon Sport
