Cathro sets Saint-Étienne a gruelling pre-season, seeks fitter opponents after 1-0 loss to Servette | OneFootball

According to Le Progres, Saint-Étienne have deliberately scheduled fitter opponents during a Swiss pre-season, a plan that has laid bare flaws and slowed confidence in combinations, yet Ian Cathro remains calm and focused on the longer term.

They faded after about half an hour in recent outings, including Saturday's 1-0 defeat to Servette. Beginning with an all-Swiss camp, they had seemed set for a gentle build-up, only for reality to bite against two better-prepared sides.

The Scottish coach has put them through a demanding block, two intense weeks in a heatwave, then pitched them against opponents further along physically.

After the Servette loss, Cathro said pre-season should be difficult, that the team need to improve quickly and prefer rivals already ahead in their conditioning.

For now he is not alarmed, keeping his focus on progress over the coming weeks.

Source: Le Progres