Starligue: “There are the results but there is also what this team produces”… at MHB, what conclusions can be drawn at mid-season ?

Sebastian Karlsson et les joueurs de Patrice Canayer ont chèrement vendu leur peau depuis le début de la saison. Midi Libre – SYLVIE CAMBON

Despite the injuries, Montpellier Handball is on schedule as the first half of the season ended, despite the last two defeats in Starligue in Toulouse and Nantes.

Last Tuesday in Nantes, in a bullfight atmosphere, Montpellier Handball ended the first half of its season with a one-goal defeat (31-30). A result which, according to his coach Patrice Canayer, changes nothing in the matter and the results of four months of competition.

"I said this summer that we would have to be well positioned in all competitions at this time of the year, recalls the technician. We are in the quarter-finals of the Coupe de France, in the Champions League, we are well placed (fourth in a group of 8) to qualify, and in the championship we are third, two points behind Nantes, second. Nothing is finished."

The Starligue ranking and the program for the next day.

Paris is still far ahead

Patrice Canayer recognizes, on the other hand, Parisian supremacy. "We are a little far from PSG for my taste (7 points)", a PSG author of a faultless record so far (15 matches played, 15 matches won). So much for the accounting aspect of things.

As is often the case with Patrice Canayer, the analysis does not stop at a few figures. "There are the results but there is also what this team gives off. She is determined, she fights and the public feels it in the stands, says the coach. It’is very satisfying."

A perpetual adaptation

The state of mind is impeccable despite the blows of fate. This is the other lesson after half a season marked by serious injuries to Stas Skube (knee), Yanis Lenne (adductors, abs), Ahmed Hesham (knee) and Kyllian Villeminot ( Achilles tendon).

"We had to constantly adapt, rebalance the group, redefine leadership", underlines Patrice Canayer who would have liked to field a "complete" team. For 2024, he is crossing his fingers for more stability and is considering the addition of a joker to compensate for the absences of Hesham and Villeminot, out until next summer.

"We are not safe from another glitch"

"We have to see, temper the person concerned. We will look at the opportunities and means at our disposal. We are not safe from another glitch." 

Charles Bolzinger, Rémi Desbonnet, Karl Konan, Yanis Lenne, Valentin Porte, Diego Simonet, Bryan Monte, Veron Nacinovic, Marko Panic, Sebastian Karsson, Lucas Pellas, eleven players from the professional group, left for selection.

With the prospect of playing very high-level matches. "Imagine that one of our goalkeepers farts, what do we do if we have already taken a joker…", asks Patrice Canayer. Information taken, the regulations of the National Handball League allow the recruitment, beyond a medical joker, of a goalkeeper joker until the 26th day of the championship.

President Julien Deljarry and his coach Patrice Canayer are considering recruiting a joker. Midi Libre – SYLVIE CAMBON

Towards a return of Jensen ?

From this point of view, the MHB coach can be reassured. And start discussions with a few agents. At this time of year, Montpellier will not necessarily be spoiled for choice. Last Tuesday in Nantes, Julien Deljarry measured the difficulty of recruiting (a priori) a left back in the middle of January.

Andreas Holst Jensen, a veteran of the blue house who left last summer for Germany (Rhein-Neckar Löwen), is the name most often cited in recent days. He would have the advantage of knowing the club well but will he really want to come back ? That’s another story.

The next day of the championship is scheduled for February 9, the resumption on the 4th in the Coupe de France with the reception of Dunkirk. Until then, we "will observe the (transfer) market", warns Canayer. And tremble!

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