Philippe Montanier, Toulouse coach: “An important working session” against Real Sociedad
“The opposition was on a higher level this time. Did your team meet your expectations?
Yes, we really wanted to suffer. And even if the team worked well, on one still suffered. It’s an important work session. We have seen that at the technical and dynamism level, we still have to learn. However, the players did well. That was the goal.
Is winning important for maintaining trust?
It’s anecdotal. I even think it’s a bit harsh for Real Sociedad, because in the first period, they deserved to score. Their dominance was significant. What is interesting for the future is that in the second period, especially during the last 30 minutes, we had 9 players out of 11 who were under 22 years old. These are games in which the team will learn a lot.
Are the youngsters showing that you could call on them this season?
We know very well that to appear well in Ligue 1, it will not be necessary to have 11 but 17, or 18, players at the level. Competition will force us to raise our level.
Why did you keep Maxime Dupé the whole match, when you changed goalkeepers at the break in previous matches?
Tuesday (against Osasuna)it will be Kjetil (Haug) who will play the whole match. It’s important now for goalkeepers, for concentration, to play 90 minutes.
“(Physically), I think it’s progressing quite well. We are not yet at the top but we are gradually increasing the playing times.
Zakaria Aboukhlal was marked for his first game. How is his integration going, as well as that of the other recruits?
So far, everything is going well. Afterwards, we will see especially in the game, in particular in the relations with their teammates and their adaptation with Ligue 1. These are question marks. They still have a lot of qualities. I’m confident they’ll adapt quickly. There are a few weeks left but it will come quickly.
It was still hot today, but your players reacted well physically. Do you feel that they are progressing in this preparation?
It is cooler here than in Toulouse. When we train at 5 p.m., it’s almost 38°C. There, there is 10°C less. We get used to the bodies because we play against Nice on the first day, Sunday, at 1 p.m. On that, I think it’s going quite well. We are not yet at the top but we are gradually increasing the playing time. There are no injuries either. Each time, in a preparation, we tell ourselves that this is the first objective.
Where is Rhys Healey precisely?
It’s going quite well. We hope to recover it in collective training during the week. Afterwards, we will see when he can have playing time. You always have to be careful with players in rehabilitation. We’re going to get there little by little, I’m confident. »