The right side of Montpellier has taken on another dimension in recent weeks, like his team. A progression which according to him is due to the arrival of the new staff. But he believes his training can do even better.
Enzo, we have the impression that since Jean-Louis Gasset arrived, you are gaining strength and gaining confidence. Is this also the impression you have?
I would say yes. It’s true that since the new coach arrived, I’ve had a lot of playing time. I’ve had the opportunity to play a series of matches and gain confidence. The coach talks to me a lot, the assistant Printant, too. I think the contribution of Vito (Hilton) leads to something more. I feel good and it continues.
Is that what you also miss at the start of the season? Continuity, not starting every match?
We definitely feel better when we can play several matches together. Having a match while playing, a match on the bench, it’s more complicated to have continuity. It brings a lot of things to the progression. It’s also better, I think.
We feel you are diligent defensively, but perhaps less visible offensively. Is this part of the instructions or do you prefer to be careful for the moment?
Afterwards, it all depends on the matches. Afterwards, I remain above all a defender. The most important thing is to do my defensive tasks. Afterwards, when I have the opportunity to contribute offensively, I try to do it. For now, I’m trying to combine with Mousa because I play with him often. I think that over the matches, over the automatisms that we will create in training and also through the matches, it will be better. I hope to make some assists for the team.
You conceded few chances against Lille or Lens. Do you have the impression that the defense is making progress and that it is finding its bearings?
I think that beyond the defense, it is above all the defensive block of the whole team. It’s true that we work a lot in training on this aspect. Afterwards, the problem is that we also concede goals which are unfortunately during set phases. This is also a point that we must work on. But it’s true that we feel more solid and it’s better to win matches by having a solid defense, by having a compact team, that gives us more certainty when starting matches.
You were talking earlier about the role of Vito (Hilton), qWhat does it concretely bring you on a daily basis? You knew the player, you see him there with you as a coach. What does it bring you on a daily basis?
The good thing, as you said, is that he was playful. He was also captain. He brings his experience, his calm. For us, as a defender, he gives us a lot of advice. Especially as a young player, I think it’s important to take advice from a player like that. It is always with kindness and a lot of calm that he comes to speak to us.
How do you explain the difficulties you have outside while at home you have found a certain continuity? Is it an external mental problem or is it something else?
Frankly, I won’t necessarily have the answer to the question. We try, whether at home or away, to use the same ingredients. Afterwards, it is certain that at home, there is the public which pushes us. It gives us something more, I think. But for the second part of the season, it would be important to take away points if we want to maintain our position. But no, it’s true that for the moment, we haven’t yet found the solution.
Do you have the feeling, precisely, to come back to refereeing, that it has been a bit tricky lately? We remember in Saint-Étienne where last week, there was a priori foul on Nordin at the start before the goal. How do you experience this within the group?
During matches, it’s true that it’s quite frustrating. I said in Saint-Étienne that what was frustrating was above all the lack of communication with the refereeing. Afterwards, we have the impression that at the moment, there is a bit of nothing that suits us. We don’t necessarily have that success.
If we had more success, perhaps the referee would have called him the foul against Lens. But afterward, we must not hide behind that. You have to deal with it. Because in all cases, it is us and ourselves who play. You have to ignore refereeing to simply win matches. We shouldn’t say every time that it’s because of the referee that we lost. Never mind. You just have to go with it and play.
Did the two matches against Brest and Lille at La Mosson chart the way forward at home?
Yes, I think these are two matches to build on. Because we had two positive results. We take points. We will try to do the same against Nice,e put the same ingredients, even more. Because we can do much better to bring home victory this weekend. But it is certain that these are two matches that we must rely on and rely on for the matches to come.
