On Saturday, the MHSC experienced cruel disillusionment. However, beyond the balance sheet, the Montpellier residents delivered their best matches of the season, thus offering a glimmer of hope for remaining in the elite.
Certainly, the current scenario points us towards a fierce battle for 16th place, facing Angers and Le Havre. But getting this 16th place, given the current situation, would almost be an achievement. Yes, the situation is tense, but there is no question of throwing in the towel. You have to continue to believe in it.
In this meeting, I saw many positive things. First, the reaction after the humiliation at Puy was expected and it materialized. This leads us to believe that this heavy defeat was just an accident. An inexcusable misstep, but one that could very well have turned out differently. At the start of the match, Montpellier had two big chances and a penalty which could have been legitimately awarded if video refereeing had been in place.
On the tactical level Jean Louis Gasset amazed me, the team presented a hybrid pattern between 4-4-2 and 4-3-3. I didn’t think he was capable of innovating to this extent, he who against the big guys had accustomed us to at least a very low big block (see Lens and Lille). The replacement of Omeragic in 6 is not unrelated to the success of this animation, the defensive contribution of the Swiss has a lot of movement allowed to the 3 attacking midfielders.
Individually, the performances were decent. Certainly, some players have shown technical and tactical limits, but it is not a question of will. There is heart, and with a little less of these limitations, Montpellier would certainly have pocketed points. As for the full-backs, although I have often been critical of them, their performance was courageous and correct this time. The worrying Adams problem: he doesn’t always seem to know where to position himself when he doesn’t have the ball, a problem in understanding the game which becomes crucial at this stage of the season. The transfer window will also be decisive in strengthening the team, especially after Maksimovic’s injury.
I’m not going to sell dreams: the road is strewn with pitfalls and we are clearly one of the worst teams in Ligue 1 this season. But honestly, if someone had told me that the MHSC would deliver such a match in Lyon, I might have found it hard to believe it. The coach’s positive attitude is a good thing, but he will have to prepare his team carefully for the next match. Sunday’s match will be a true “six-point match”. It will not allow us to say that we will maintain our position, but in the event of defeat it will be very difficult to maintain hope this time.
