How are you approaching this trip to Lyon?
Yannick Chandioux: It’s always the match that scares you, it’s the best team. We play them at the start of the season, it’s not necessarily a problem but we also played PSG (3-1 defeat on the first day, editor’s note) and that’s a lot. In totality, we can end up with only three points after three matches. Now we are still learning, with a young team, which is progressing well. We are moving forward.
When you meet the best team in the world, is that also an exciting challenge?
Of course, that’s the goal, with zero pressure. We want to annoy them in certain areas of the game, and then if we draw or win it will be an achievement. We have already managed to shake them up since I have been here (2020, editor’s note), even if we have never brought home any points.
Should we focus on the content first?
Yes because if we want to focus on the result we are wrong. On the other hand, we must put things in place during certain phases of the game: set pieces, the start of the match, the end of half-time, moments when they score a lot. The result has little importance, even if we don’t like getting slapped.
How do you judge the start of the season?
We played three of the first four of the last championship (PSG, Lyon and Reims, editor’s note). So we can say that from an accounting point of view it’s good, with three points and this victory against Reims. Afterwards on the content I expect better. The group has a lot of room for improvement, because we have a lot of young players.
Are you waiting to take the points against more affordable teams in the championship?
I think this championship is very homogeneous, with the exception of PSG, Lyon and Paris FC. So it gives us a chance to perform, but we haven’t set a goal this year. The team is less strong than last year, we have a group limited in quantity and quality, and we therefore do not have the obligation to win everything.
There are a lot of changes this summer, in attack, in defense. You have lost your Lakrar-Mpomé hinge. How do we rebuild?
There’s definitely a bit of DIY involved. In our first matches, our central hinge is made up of two midfielders (Ella Palis and Céleste Boureille, editor’s note), but they did very well. We will have suspension feedback which will help us. Up front we also lost four players this summer. I would have liked to rely on all these players but it’s the club’s policy, I respect it.
Since last year the format of the championship has changed, with the establishment of play-offs for the first four. What do you think about it in hindsight, even if you didn’t play them?
I believe in more matches. I would have even liked us to have six-a-side play-offs and play-downs. It exists in almost all team sports except football! Having more matches is in the interest of the French team, many young internationals do not have playing time, that’s the truth. The summer break was too long!
This season marks the 50th anniversary of the MHSC. How do we use this lever?
I really like this question (smile). I haven’t used it with the group yet, almost none. But in the season I will use it, I keep these cartridges. On a personal level, it’s a great motivation, we are in one of the biggest French clubs, for men and even more so for women. So yes on paper we have the least competitive squad of my four years, but with these values we will perhaps do something. In the French Cup too. We will rush to have the best possible season.
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Lyon-Montpellier, kick-off Saturday October 5 at 9:00 p.m.
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