Philippe Montanier’s first week at Saint-Étienne focuses on balance, discipline and Montpellier | OneFootball

According to L'Équipe, Philippe Montanier has spent his first week at Saint-Étienne rebalancing the side and priming for Saturday’s 20.00 home game with Montpellier, with three points viewed as the only satisfactory outcome. Since signing on Sunday, he has been at L’Étrat from seven am to seven pm each day.

The former goalkeeper ended his playing career here in 1999-2000 and has returned to familiar faces, including kit staff, Jean-François Bédénik, his ex-keeper at Boulogne-sur-Mer now goalkeeping coach, and Jean-François Soucasse, with whom he played at Toulouse in 1994-1995. He feels the training centre has stepped up and says assistant Stéphane Lièvre was warmly welcomed, drawing parallels with the atmosphere he knew at RC Lens in 2019-2020.

Montanier and Lièvre, who won Ligue 2 in 2022 and the Coupe de France in 2023 with TFC, have prioritised defensive balance and sharper attacking play. They shared a dressing room at Caen from 1992 to 1994, with Lièvre leading on defensive work under principles learned from Daniel Jeandupeux.

In regular contact since November with Huss Fahmy, the executive vice-president of Kilmer Sports Ventures, the club’s owner, the 61-year-old says he has watched all Saint-Étienne matches in real time and has started 20-minute one-to-ones. Early chats include Lucas Stassin, short on confidence and urged to focus on the collective. In the dressing room he speaks in French, then repeats in English so everyone understands at the same level, recalling he managed 18 nationalities at TFC.

Mornings have featured occasionally robust sessions, with staff urging moderation after Florian Tardieu was injured on Tuesday, and afternoons bring an hour of video. Wednesday’s focus was Montpellier, with new recruits available, including defensive midfielder Abdoulaye Kanté on loan from Middlesbrough. With minutes scarce and some roles energy sapping, he plans a side to start and another to finish, stressing the need to run.

Squad rules are clear, phones are handed in on arrival, shin pads are compulsory and players tidy up after themselves out of respect for cleaning staff. There was no overnight camp on Friday, as he trusts the group, though any breach would be irreversible. The squad meets at midday on Saturday for a meal, then a refresher on principles for the 13 remaining Ligue 2 fixtures.

Source: L'Équipe