Since the start of the season, Montpellier Hérault Sport Club has been without several major players, notably Téji Savanier, Becir Omeragic, Joris Chotard, Khalil Fayad and even Kiki Kouyaté during the last trip to Le Havre, due to injuries or suspensions. In Saint-Étienne, Jordan Ferri will complete this list. A situation which inevitably partly explains the club's lackluster performances, illustrated by a new defeat in Normandy.
After this match, coach Jean-Louis Gasset declared that with the return of the absentees, combined in particular with the latest recruit Nikola Maksimovic, Montpellier could “find the blue sky”. We can indeed think that the returns of Savanier and Fayad should revitalize the midfield and the attack, where creativity and efficiency were sorely lacking this weekend. Chotard and Omeragic, meanwhile, could provide the defensive stability that has been missing for a long time. The timing will be decisive: can these players return to full fitness soon enough to impact the rest of the season? Will these returns be enough? In any case, we will have to be patient because against Stade Brestois on Sunday, we will once again have to do without them. And given the periods of unavailability initially announced, even the trip to Saint-Etienne will seem fair.
The returns of major players will be good news for morale, but recovery will not be guaranteed. The evil obviously seems too deep. It will remain to be seen whether these players will quickly return to their optimal level to revive a collective machine that is adrift. With four points on the clock, Montpellier has no time and the urgency is more present than ever within the walls of Grammont.
So a real glimmer of hope for Jean-Louis Gasset or a simple illusion? It will necessarily be necessary to avoid rushing things for the injured in order to prevent relapses. Another fashion of our club but with its strong forces returning, the team will inevitably have a real chance of redressing the bar – but the road remains strewn with pitfalls. Then hoping above all that it is not already too late.
