OB: I know it’s in Barthélémy Delacroix’s field, the physical preparation and the workload even if you all contribute to it, but are there big adjustments to make when you go from a heatwave one week to feeling the rain and cold the next?
DS: Not really, we don’t adjust much. Obviously, if there’s a lot of heat, we’ll adjust certain work times or hydration breaks but on rainy days, it doesn’t really change anything in the planning that had already been established for this week.
OB: What time do you get here to the Nutrilait Center?
DS: I arrive early before work.
OB: You told me you arrive early, and in my head I thought 7:30 or 8 in the morning, but you arrive quite a bit earlier than that?
DS: Yes, a little earlier, around 6 o’clock. I like that.
OB: Why so early?
DD: It’s a time when it’s quiet and you can get on with a lot of things. Then, the whole day starts and there’s a lot more interactions and less control over your time. So I figure it’s an interesting time for me and I’m more of a morning person, so I like coming in early.
OB: Does that make it easier for you to relax in the evenings?
DS: No, but I like it. It’s a good time in the morning as it gives me a good start to the day.
OB: Is there a part of your life where you take time off? Do you have any other hobbies?
DS: No, but I try, especially since I have family, in particular, my mother was here from France, so it was interesting to just, let’s say, take a break from soccer and enjoy the family and girlfriend who’s here as well. When you’re with the family, you try to get away from it all.
OB: What’s a tour like with you if you play the tour guide. What does that look like?
DS: It depends on the moment, the time we have free. Otherwise, I know that my mother likes to go to downtown Montreal, Mont-Royal, and so on. So we always do pretty much the same things. She really likes Montreal, so we spend a lot of time here visiting good restaurants, a bit of shopping, and quiet time with the family.
OB: How many seasons do you feel you’ve lived through since you arrived last winter?
DS: Several, that’s for sure. It’s a season that goes by really fast, and that’s very demanding with a lot of twists and turns, positive and negative, and a lot of learning. We’ve still got the final sprint to try and grab something. But yes, it’s actually a funny feeling. We were talking about it with the staff at the beginning of the year how it felt like the season was going by really slowly, but in fact it’s going by really fast. But yeah, it’s been a season of twists and turns.
OB: Speaking of learning, what have you learned about yourself? Because it’s a new role and a new environment, but you’ve coached here in Quebec before, so it may not be the most foreign thing to your transition, but there are requirements that go to another level when you move to the first team in MLS. What have you learned about yourself and your ability to handle these moments?
DS: Well, it’s all about trying to control what you can control. There are a lot of things in this business that you can’t control. All the little things to support the coach, the players, and the staff. Those are things I can control, and I try to focus on that and always try to make the most of every day. What can I do to help and be a support for this group and staff? That’s what I try to focus on as much as possible: the details and controlling what you can control.
OB: I don’t think I’ve asked you this question before, but is becoming head coach a long-term goal, or are you comfortable in an assistant’s chair? There are some people who spend their entire career comfortable in a number two role while others who have number one ambitions?
DS: Honestly, it’s always been in the back of my mind. Why not? It’s not really a question I’m asking myself at the moment. Everything has gone very fast for me already, so I don’t want to skip any steps. I appreciate the fact that I’m here and that I have this role. I’m working for a coach and supporting him as much as I can. I’d say right now I’m trying to focus more on the details and what I can control in the present, the next few months and weeks.
OB: What does that look like in concrete terms? I don’t want you to give away any national defense secrets, but over the course of a day in training or at a meeting, what kind of impact could it have? And what could it be in concrete terms?
DS: Well, to begin with, just preparing for training gives us the impression that we’re going out into the field well prepared. The work times have to be adjusted with the coach, which includes the staff, the performance staff, and the player rotations. Do we need to adjust guys in terms of space, rotation times, adjustment, and time between exercises to make sure we’re able to adapt quickly if there’s a problem? It’s all about saying: this is plan A, so what’s plan B? And plan C? In fact, it’s all the little, shadowy things that the training rolls out but before where there’s been a lot of preparation to make sure that things are running smoothly and that we’re meeting the expectations that we’ve set ourselves technically, tactically and physically even if physically it’s more Berth and Stefano’s job to manage that but there’s that link that makes all parts of training work together.
OB: That’s when things are going well. Everyone’s broken in, and everyone knows how we work. That’s why there are several weeks of training camp before the season starts. All in all, between the players who have left and those who have arrived, we’re talking about ten players from the original squad. Are we starting a new training camp?
DS: No, I wouldn’t say we’re starting a new training camp. Of course, there have been some adjustments in terms of training load, because with the Leagues Cup we were stopped for a few days to rest and then got going again so obviously, the approach isn’t the same. In terms of physical load, we’ve calibrated our training so that we’re ready for this weekend’s game against New England. After that, having new players, it’s just a question of how quickly we can integrate them into our methodology and into what we want in training, and get the message across quickly. So, of course, there’s the coaching staff’s part to play in this, but there are also the teammates who have a support role to play in passing on the messages. After that, we’re pretty pleased with the newcomers’ state of mind. For the moment, it’s irreproachable and going in the right direction. In terms of work and the identity we want to establish.
OB: How is this knowledge or philosophy shared with new players? Is it a binder, a USB, or do you give them an iPad and off you go to do your homework? Or is it just time that does the trick?
DS: When you arrive in a new environment, there’s bound to be a certain amount of time involved in getting the message across. Then, of course, there’s video work to be done. There are meetings with the different coaches, and then there’s the training content itself. You can’t expect a player to arrive, for example Tom Pearce who arrived from England, to be 100% integrated into the system straight away, but we’ve seen from his performances that he has understood certain important principles. So, I’d say there’s a time element and we’re also speeding up the process by trying to put them in the best possible conditions, both on and off the pitch, as assistant coach of CF Montreal.
OB: You’ll never tell me you were happy to be knocked out of the League Cup, that’s for sure. Everyone who enters a competition wants to go as far as possible, if not all the way. But now that the team has been eliminated, is there still a benefit to having more time together? Either to rest those who have played a lot or to bring the many newcomers up to speed for this last sprint in MLS? Was there any benefit to that?
DS: We’ll see if there’s a benefit at the end of the year. I think it was good for some of the guys to recuperate a bit, because the internationals in particular had been busy with the Copa America itself, even if the playing time wasn’t necessarily huge it’s still a big mental and emotional expense overall. There are players who played a lot, but it also gave us a chance to rest our heads a bit and start a new cycle. Then we, the staff, were able to work, do our homework on what we need to do to be effective in the upcoming matches, and try and get something out of them because I think we’re not far off and we firmly believe in it. So, we’ve been working on how we can improve the team so that we can achieve our goals.
OB: Since Gabriel Gervais took over as sporting director, on an interim basis, Laurent Courtois is part of the conversations about the profiles we’re looking for, players who might be of interest. Is the staff also consulted by default, or is it really just between Laurent and management?
DS: It’s a balance between the two. We’re aware of the potential profiles that are being sought after, but it’s up to management to manage everything in terms of negotiation and research. We’re more into how that profile can help us with our game plan in terms of this and that. We figure out how we can integrate this type of profile to improve the team and what we want to see from CF Montreal.
OB: The League Cup has been a roller-coaster ride, like the season so far, and it leaves us at Saputo Stadium. You’d like to score the penalty but not award two to the opponent, but still, for the people who came out, it was a great evening. As a staff member, where do you stand on the League Cup? Opinions are very varied. How do you feel about it?
DS: As a competitor, I think there’s a competition to be played and potentially a title to go after and even to go for qualifying places for the CONCACAF Champion’s League. As soon as there’s something to play for or a title to win, I’m obviously positive about that. Yes, the format of cutting MLS short can be a double-edged sword, but I think we’re competitors, and the players and staff want to play matches and win trophies. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to do that this year. I’m not focusing on the extra-sporting aspects of the League Cup because it may or may not be of interest to us. It’s a competition to play for, with a title to go for or qualifying places to go for. I think the players and staff played the game well, but playing in Philadelphia is always difficult, and I think there are times when we need to do better. If we do better in certain moments, maybe we’ll get through another round, that’s for sure.
OB: You say you ignore everything else to concentrate on the sporting aspect. I think it’s very good for your mental health to do that too because when you get to the top level, there’s the business vs. agent aspect, there’s the media that come into play, all that. Does that make us a bit disenchanted with our primary passion, or can we really stay at the essence of the sport, purely?
DS: The idea is to really stay focused on what you can control, and that’s the training day and what you’re going to do on video with the defenders, the midfielders, and individually. But yes, there is a certain amount of pressure. That’s the reality, and no matter how hard you try to ignore it, there’s bound to be feedback.
OB: Especially when you have a network here, which you had before you arrived.
DS: Inevitably, there are things you say to yourself or you read, that you try to tell yourself “it’s not possible that people think like that, that’s part of the game,” because we (the staff), in-house, know what’s going on, but I’d tell you that as much as possible, I try to really focus on what I can control, like what’s on the field and just working. I’m young, and I feel I need to do more to be effective and be able to help the players.
OB: Screenshots happen quickly when there’s a tweet, an article, or opinions floating around on social media. Is there a time when you have to draw the line and say I know you mean well and you want to keep the fans informed, but somewhere along the line, it makes me lose focus of what I have to do as a job, are there times when that happens?
DS: No, honestly, I’m not in that frame of mind at the moment. If it happens, it happens. And the truth is, those of us in-house know what’s going on, we know “the truth”, so we’re just getting on with it. In fact, that’s part of the game, and I don’t think you should take it negatively. On the one hand, I think it’s good that people are talking about the team, that the fans are passionate. It means that there’s life around the club and that there’s interest. If there was no one talking about CF Montreal, that would be worrying, too. I think there’s a certain passion around the club. The reality, for example, if we go back to the Leagues Cup, is that when you look at all the attendance figures in all the stadiums, and we look at the San Luis match, the stadium was full and we say “Wow, so in Montreal, there’s still something special going on in relation to soccer.” Even if sometimes we are going through a season that has two different speeds, we’re not where we’d like to be but we’re not disinterested. We say to ourselves, “the stadium is full for a group stage in the Leagues Cup match.”
OB: Against a relatively unknown team. Last time, against Puma, it’s understandable. They‘re a major player in Mexican soccer, where San Luis isn’t the case.
DS: Exactly. With all due respect, it was a pleasant surprise to see that the stadium was full once again so that means there’s interest. There’s a buzz around the club. And that, in the end, once again, when you’re a competitor, you prefer that to empty stadiums and nobody talking about the team.
OB: You’ll be back in MLS action this weekend against New England. You gave two days off this weekend, if I’m not mistaken. Did you have a speech, or did Laurent have a particular speech to kind of reset the team?
DS: Laurent simply said that the reality of it is that we still have things to play for collectively. Obviously, with the aim of qualifying for the playoffs and everyone, individually, has something to play for, whether it’s to be a better player, coach, or staff at the end of the year.
OB: And to have better conditions, a new contract, etc..
DS: I mean, that’s a reality, too. If the player performs well, he’s more likely to get a better contract. So collectively, of course, we have objectives but then again, we always come back to that, we’re competitors, and if you’re at this level, it’s because you want to perform, so you’ve got two months or three months left to perform at your best. You have to try not to have any regrets at the end and say to yourself, “Did I try to do my best?” or “Are there things I should have done differently?” Whether you’re a player or a coach, the reality is that we’ve done what we had to do, and now we have to sit down and reflect. The idea is that it’s not over and that there really are things to play for, and we’re lucky in that. First, we’ve got home games against direct rivals, and obviously, we’ll have to pick up points on the road. I think that at Saputo Stadium, in terms of content, we’ve always played most of our games, or three out of four of our games, and we’ve been consistent in terms of content. However, at this level, it’s not just about content. You have to go out and get points. The reality is that we were consistent in what we wanted to do, and now we need to string together wins at home and pick up points on the road. I think we have something to play for.
OB: You mentioned the competitive aspect, which is obviously extremely important. We play for pleasure, yes, but in the reality of professional sport, we have to win and compete. How do you keep that competition, that tension, which can be extremely beneficial in training, without falling into excesses and tensions that can be counterproductive? There were sparks this year that happened in every club, but how do we prevent it from tipping over too often and becoming negative?
DS: I think there’s also an element of communication. We know how, when something goes wrong or is negative, at the end of the day or the next day, we’re able to reflect on it and try to say, “okay, that’s how it went, let’s try not to do it the same way in the future.” On the other hand, I think that for me, if there’s tension in training and the guys want to win when we play short games, sometimes they talk about the refereeing and that’s normal, but at least it proves that there’s life. For example, on the side I go into training and at a rondo drill the players needed to make ten passes to score a point and the coach says nine passes were made but the players argue that it was the tenth. Ok, no problem, That means they’re present too. As long as it’s done with respect and that at worst, if there’s a little outburst, we talk about it and discuss and move on. I think there’s a need for communication and reflection and finding the right balance between respect and disrespect.
OB: Well, because the opposite would be worrying too. If you’ve got guys who, and we’re getting into the nitty-gritty of coaching, but if there are rules to follow, you have to make three passes backwards or in a certain area before you think about scoring a goal, then the guys are just playing and not paying attention, its frustrating.
DS: It’s frustrating for all of us. At the moment, we don’t have this problem in training because the guys want to practice, and if, for example, we make a coaching mistake and we’re told and they’re right, there’s no problem, we carry on, we’re accountable as well. We tell them “my bad, next one!”, now, it’s also about telling them “OK, I made a refereeing mistake, for example, or I made a mistake in the rules we put in place.” However, if we’re talking about what your reaction was like? Did you just protest, or did you say “Ok, next one, and we’ll move on and react to this mistake.”? That’s the balance you have to find, just like in a match where there can be refereeing errors or team-mates’ mistakes, and how do you react to that. Obviously, everyone has an ego, but what I see from the guys in training sessions is that they’re passionate. It’s a group that lives well, guys who want to win and who know that there’s still plenty of room for individual and collective improvement.
OB: Did you expect so many changes in the squad? You said earlier that you know what’s going on internally, but at the same time, when Gabriel Gervais spoke to us a few months ago, he was very transparent about the lack of headcount positions and the limited margin on the salary cap. In the end, around ten players moved in one direction or another. Was this a surprise for you, the volume, or was it something you could sense coming internally?
DS: We knew we were going to have movement, but we didn’t know in terms of volume what it was going to look like. The management people are doing their duty, and I think they made informed decisions based on how they probably see the future of the team, how to finish the season, and prepare for future seasons. It’s part of our role as staff to see if the players we have available fit in with the coach’s game plan and how we should work with them. So, yes, we’ve lost some guys who, in human terms, were very good people. We brought in some players who may be a bit younger. I’m talking about age, not experience, who are listening and wanting to progress with the project. I’d say the dynamic remains the same, and at the end of the day, it’s all about winning games.
OB: Where is Nathan Saliba’s ceiling? How much room for improvement does he still have?
DS: For me, it’s enormous. Nathan has a great profile and he’s very young, but he already has a lot of MLS games under his belt. By working with him and talking to him, I can see that he’s mature and he knows what he wants and where he wants to go in terms of player quality.
OB: But maybe leave too. I’m not putting words in your mouth. But he never hid the fact that Europe was a dream for him, too.
DS: Exactly, we have a lot of discussions and he also knows what he has to improve on, but he has outstanding qualities in terms of his ability to cover space.
OB: What are we looking for in Nathan? He’s a guy who has a big job to do when he doesn’t have the ball. For example, when you see Josef Martinez in the penalty area, it’s pretty easy to see what makes him stand out from the crowd but for Nathan, what would be the two or three good things?
DS: First of all, his big positive points are covering space, being able to come under pressure, and getting out of situations that are hyper-complicated. He’s got above-average ability to change direction and get on the ball. Now, for Nathan it’s about being able to, even though he’s getting better at it, how to hurt the opponents by passing. For example. in the penultimate pass, when you’re a little higher up the pitch, is his role to accompany the attack or to be more of a support player? So, really, to understand his role when you’re a bit higher up the pitch, but defensively, he’s good in transitions and in one-on-one situations. I’ve made a few tactical adjustments in response to the coach’s requests to recognize spaces. He’s still got a little room for improvement there.
OB: Fewer yellow cards? Or is that part of being young?
DS: Not necessarily, he’s has a game that requires him to be strong in duels and I think he’ll make progress in that area, but we’re lucky to have a player like him who came through the academy. I would say that’s he’s the quality of a player who comes out of this academy in reality. I wish him all the best. In the state of mind he’s in, I think he can go very far. He knows what he wants, and I don’t doubt it. I hope that he’ll be a very important player at the end of the season and that he’s going to be able to play match after match because this season that’s been more complicated for him, because of injuries or a few problems, so I hope he’ll be able to finish the season without any problems and help us achieve our objectives. The sky is the limit for Nathan.
OB: The World Cup in 2026 is not too crazy to think about for Nathan, it’s going to come early in his career but if we consider that there are still almost two years of possible progression?
DS: Sure, it’s two seasons in the end and I think it’s a perfectly normal goal for Nathan. If I were in his shoes right now, I’d say to myself I want to be at the 2026 World Cup with Canada.
OB: If we are talking about playing it and breaking lines and weighing in more offensively? All of a sudden, I think Jesse March would be very interested.
DS: He’s got the profile to play in Jesse March’s system, that’s for sure.
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