MHSC: “We have to tell ourselves that we are going to find the solution, not look for the culprit”, says Jean-Louis Gasset before the trip to Lyon

Jean-Louis Gasset encourages people to stay positive before the second half of the season begins Saturday in Lyon. Midi Libre – Dorian Cayuela

While he has not taken a public position on Téji Savanier, MHSC coach Jean-Louis Gasset hammered home a positive message on Thursday, January 2, before the trip to Lyon on Saturday.

Jean-Louis Gasset began the year by presenting his wishes. But he waited until the end of the return press conference on Thursday to deliver his own. “Be positive”, urged the MHSC coach a little over 48 hours before the trip to Lyon, Saturday (9 p.m.). Last in Ligue 1, pitifully eliminated from the Coupe de France, his team is heading towards a second half of the season filled with unknowns. Among them, the fate reserved for Téji Savanier after the controversy sparked in Puy-en-Velay. Or the involvement of certain elements in the face of the winter transfer window. The technician, for his part, remains straight under his cap. With one word in his mouth: “Hope”.

What was your speech at the restart? ? Have you discussed the elimination in Puy again? ?

I took stock of the two months we spent together. We played seven league matches and a Cup match during which we fell back into our old ways. What was terrible to see at Le Puy was the abandonment. The abandonment of the match. We conceded the second goal and there, we felt an empty, empty team (he repeats). So I said to myself, “it's done, it's done”.

Compared to our last league matches, especially at La Mosson where, in the last quarters of an hour, we had found this spirit, there we gave up. I told them that it happens in a quarry. So we get back to work. How we are going to do it and with whom we are going to do it, that will be the leitmotif of this year 2025 and especially of this month of January.

Does the fact that this relapse occurred after some progress give you the feeling of having to start from scratch??

No, the uncertainty is permanent. We have players who, I feel, have their heads elsewhere. That means that when things don't go as planned, we give up, we give up. That's not how we're going to achieve our mission. So I say, “come on, it's a Coupe de la France match, it happens to be eliminated in the 32nd round”. It's the score that bothers me a little, but 1-0 on a penalty or 4-0, when you're eliminated, you're eliminated.

As for Téji Savanier, I'll wait until tomorrow morning (Friday). There's probably a strategy. The group will listen, I will listen, and then we will adapt to the situation

So OK, we will put it down to an accident. But during the last 30 minutes, it was not an accident. It was a lack of revolt, a lack of will, something we had glimpsed during the championship matches. So we will have to find that again.

Have you spoken to Téji Savanier after this unfortunate exit at Le Puy ? Are you considering a sanction ?

I usually respect the hierarchy. Okay ? I'll talk about the sportsman, the club will talk about the rest. Tomorrow morning at 9am (Friday), before leaving for Lyon, the president will intervene. We'll find out more.

He's your captain. Will he still be that way ?

I'll wait until tomorrow morning (Friday). There's probably a strategy. The group will listen, I will listen, and then we will adapt to the situation.

Wasn't this controversy the straw that broke the camel's back in an ultra-complicated context and reinforced the feeling of a season where everything is definitely against you??

No, no. There are times, as I said, when you have to limit the damage. In the championship, we are not far away, so to speak, and we still have our future in our hands. So, we have to make the adjustments. We have to put the church back in the middle of the village and leave with a good frame of mind. We know that we have shown that we can have the right reaction. But when we are not in the right frame of mind, we lose, even against a team that, hierarchically, is less well placed than us.

The month of January will be eventful, we hear noises, I see players a little disillusioned or worried, or elsewhere. We'll live day by day, it's up to me to find out.

How do you hope to end this roller coaster, these moments when things go off the rails?

Stability. January will be eventful, we hear noises, I see players who are a little disillusioned or worried, or elsewhere. We will live day by day, it's up to me to find. Since we resumed on December 29, we have trained every day. We had given a program during the week off that was respected. I don't sense any bad will. But there are a few players who make me feel, perhaps, a desire for elsewhere.

We will have to clear the situation, perhaps have a brilliant idea. “Kiki” Kouyaté, with what I see in training, is a ray of sunshine, because he wants to, he is aggressive, respected by everyone. We will have to find these motivated players, who are in the project.

The MHSC coach estimates that “32 points” are the total number of points that MHSC needs to reach to stay up. Midi Libre – JEAN MICHEL MART

You are struggling away from home. How can you get unstuck? ?

In the last away matches, we still did well. When you are in a period of not so good, the game turns its back on you. We have to hope that we have eaten our black bread. And to think that out of the 19 matches that remain to be played, there will be some against the teams that are struggling with us, where it will be essential to take 3 points, and then others against stronger teams, where we hope to achieve something.

There, everyone is angry. But they are right. We are alone. And we have to get through it alone

We can't go a whole season without taking a point away. We have to let go. We won't always miss the unmissable opportunities, like in Lens, Saint-Etienne or Le Puy. The sooner we get over this and get a positive result, the sooner we'll get our morale back, people will come with us. Right now, everyone is angry. But they're right. We're alone. And we have to get through this alone. With the people who are there.

Have you set a total number of points to reach to stay up? ?

Around 32 points. That means we have to win seven matches and draw a few. There has to be hope. Right now, we're not feeling good in our heads. And it seems like it's lost. No, we lost a Cup match, we had practically no defense. We have to tell ourselves that we'll find the solution. We must not look for the guilty. We must ask ourselves how we do it, with whom, and find the solution. Because hope is there. The truth and the objective too. If everyone, in the morning, thinks badly, we will not succeed. We must be positive.