Is Back competition began four months later,
Montreal won just one of their four fixtures
following disrupted preparations – Canada’s
more cautious approach to the pandemic
meant Montreal had been among the last
MLS sides given permission to restart training
by local health authorities.
After the regular campaign resumed, the
team returned to play three home games in
Montreal, before travel restrictions between
Canada and the US forced a relocation to the
Red Bull Arena – Henry’s former home with
New York Red Bulls – for the remainder of the
season. By the end of the campaign, they had
won eight games and lost 13 – scoring freely
but conceding the most goals in the Eastern
Conference – to finish ninth out of 14 teams
and equal their position in 2019.
Under the Frenchman, a newly expanded
MLS play-off format meant Montreal did at
least feature in the end-of-season knockout
event for the first time since 2016, Didier
Drogba’s second and final year at the club.
This time, they fell at the first hurdle, losing
at New England Revolution – the team they
had beaten on the opening day of the season
in February. An immediate exit also followed
in the resumed Champions League, against
Honduran side Olimpia on away goals.
“The aim of the season was to qualify for
the play-offs and build an identity,” explains
Henry. “We reached the play-offs, but it was
really difficult – I think it brought the team
together on a human level. The players had
to play in New Jersey and didn’t see their
family for a very long time – you lose a game
and return to your hotel room. I learned a lot
about the human touch you need.
“But the year wasn’t perfect. We wanted to
play out from the back and we made a lot of
mistakes during that process, because you’re
deprogramming players to reprogramme
them, and they need to feel confident about
that. When I went to Barcelona, it took me
a year to understand what they wanted, and
I wasn’t dumb.
“I don’t ask anybody to do something they
can’t do – you’ll never hear me tell a guy to
take the ball and dribble past five players. It’s
a team effort – space, structure, positioning,
understanding the ball travels faster than
the player. You have to respect the philosophy
and you have to fight, then everything after
that is excusable.
“If you don’t fight, you don’t respect what
we said we were going to do, you’re late or
you don’t train hard, then no, that’s not on.
That for me is unacceptable, and my players
have always known that. But if you come up
against a better team and make a mistake,
OK – everyone makes mistakes.”As the 2021 campaign approached, things
remained complicated. After a long delay,
the MLS start date was finally set for April 3,
then pushed back to April 17 – hampering
attempts to organise a pre-season training
schedule, amid continuing uncertainty about
Montreal’s home venue.
In the end, with Montreal looking set to
relocate to the US again, Henry had to take
a very tough decision – the decision to walk
away from the job in late February.
Days earlier, he’d seemed close to moving
to Championship outfit Bournemouth – the
Dorset side were reportedly set to approach
Montreal, seeking permission to talk to Henry.
It looked like he would get the job, only for
the Cherries to do a U-turn – after a mixed
reaction from fans, they announced that
Jonathan Woodgate would remain in charge
for the rest of the season.
Denied the perfect exit strategy, Henry
decided he still had to step down as boss of
Montreal. “The last year has been extremely
difficult for me,” he said. “Because of the
pandemic, I was unable to see my children.
Due to the ongoing restrictions and the fact16 April 2021 FourFourTwo
“TALKInG ABOUT MAnAGInG ARSEnAL IS A UTOPIA. I’M
FAR FROM THAT. AM I DREAMInG? YES, BUT IF YOU’RE
nOT DREAMInG, YOU’RE AWAKE AnD THERE IS A REALITY”
Below Henry
left Montreal in
February with
a heavy heartTHIERRY
HEn RY