“Only the mobilized boys will play, there may or may not be surprises”: head elsewhere, MHB hosts HBC Nantes

Après la déception de Kiel, Valentin Porte et le MHB reçoivent Nantes au FDI Stadium. Jean-Michel Mart

The MHB, 3rd with 44 points, hosts Nantes, 2nd with 48 points (this Friday, May 17, at 8 p.m.), with the weight of a terrible elimination at the beginning of May in the quarter-final of the Champions League.

Since May 2, 8:45 p.m., time has stood still for Montpellier Handball. Two hours earlier he was still dreaming of the Final 4 of the Champions League, of a great happiness shared at the beginning of June in Cologne and of a grand finale for his general manager, Patrice Canayer.

Instead, the Kiel sky ended up falling on the heads of Montpellier who thought they had done the hard part a week earlier…

"One day, I will tell my truths about this match…"

What to do after such a slap ? The coach has chosen to remain silent for the moment. "The scar is gaping. It's not about to close", assumes the man with 42 titles with the MHB. But no question of debriefing the nightmare today.

"I will do it when I am free and independent. So much nonsense has been said. One day I will tell my truth about this match", he warns. While waiting for the big unpacking, we must finish the season and a championship already played for the most part.

Paris, 51 points, will be champion (again), Nantes, 48 ​​points, will be a superb runner-up and Montpellier, 44 points, will climb to the third step of the podium. The others, all the others, are far away and can no longer disturb the battle of the leaders.

"Only mobilized boys will play"

"At a minimum, we will be third, confirms Patrice Canayer. For the rest (a hypothetical 2nd place in the event of a victory this Friday evening against the H), it will be more complicated. We do not have our destiny in our hands. But we will fight until the last second."

The teams

MONTPELLIER:  Bolzinger, Desbonnet; Fernandez, Pellas, A. Lenne, Nacinovic, Konan, Y. Lenne, Karlsson, Porte, Berthier, Panic, Skube, Cornette, Prat, Monte. Absent: Simonet, Villeminot, Hesham.

NANTES:Pesic, Biosca; Briet, Minne, Maqueda, Bonnefond, Rivera, Cavalcanti, Avelange Demouge, Damatrin, Bos, De la Bretèche, Hoghielm, Toto, Monar, Pineau. Absent: Ovnicek, Milosavljevic, Hallgrimsson, Odriozola

The technician wants to believe it even though some brains may have remained stuck in the north of Germany. "Friday (today), only the mobilized boys will play, there may or may not be surprises. We'll see", he promises.

The defeat in Kiel will not be the essential springboard to bounce back against Nantes, as you will have understood. Pride, pride or even ego on the other hand…hellip; "We left our audience raising a lot of hopes… Instead there was a great disappointment." He deserves something else when it's time to leave the stage too and say goodbye to Patrice Canayer.

It will be Friday May 31 at the FDI Stadium, with the Toulouse reception.

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