Gauthier Hein seeks response after Metz strip captaincy | OneFootball

Gauthier Hein heads into a reunion with Auxerre on Sunday, 17:15, with his role reset after Metz removed the captaincy amid a stormy period. The attacking midfielder remains their most decisive player in Ligue 1 with 6 goals and 4 assists. He now wants his response to come through his football.

According to L'Équipe, Benoît Tavenot explained the decision before the 0-0 draw with Lille on 6 February as a move to restore calm. New loan signing Lucas Michal, 20, was preferred and Hein started on the bench, as he had at Lille in the 1-6 loss on 26 October.

The coach urged him on to try to win it, and Hein went close with a chance at 90+6. He has used the episode as motivation, stressing he keeps the same commitment and wants to provide answers on the pitch.

With Benjamin Stambouli sidelined for four to six weeks with a fractured rib, Hein’s technical influence in the 4-3-3 looks even more important. Tavenot views him primarily as a central option who can run, bring impact, control play and find passes, and has urged him to sustain that level even when frustration rises. He believes Hein is fully capable of handling it.

Tensions with the hierarchy stemmed from misunderstandings. His public call for unity on 11 January after the 0-4 cup defeat by Montpellier caused internal friction, as did awkward celebrations against Lens on 29 October, 2-0, and at Strasbourg on 18 January, 1-2.

A brief flare-up with angry supporters after the 0-1 loss at Angers on 1 February hastened that call, and the armband is now worn by Senegalese striker Habib Diallo. A return to the role is not ruled out in the medium term. For the division’s bottom side, the urgent task is to find a win against a direct rival.

Source: L'Équipe