Philippe Montanier targets rigour and discipline on Saint-Étienne return | OneFootball

Philippe Montanier, the coach behind Boulogne and Toulouse’s recent promotions to Ligue 1, returned to Saint-Étienne on Monday, the club where he ended his playing career. He set a strict tone built on data, work and discipline, seeking efficiency at both ends of the pitch.

He wants to inject energy into a side short on dynamism for far too many weeks. According to Le Progres, his early reference points on signing Sunday were Ivan Curkovic, Robert Nouzaret and Jeff Bédenik.

He called Curkovic his idol, said Nouzaret wished him well two days earlier, and on Sunday morning he shared memories with Bédenik. He admitted the period around talks can feel messy, yet the decision quickly felt right to him.

He had been following Ligue 2 and knew the squad and the hierarchy’s ambitions. He added that objectives are sometimes out of step with means, but not here.

That stance is hard to dispute, with nearly 50 million euros spent on signings over the past year and a half, even as results in the same span have disappointed.

Eirik Horneland, dismissed on Saturday night, also shares in that failure, while Huss Fahmy also came to shoulder it.

Source: Le Progres