2023-09-10 17:40:25
Questioned by Bixente Lizarazu during an interview broadcast in Téléfoot this Sunday on TF1, the former number 9 of the Blues reveals that he did not hesitate before accepting his new position as coach of the Espoirs. “I said yes straight away” assures the ex-Arsenal player. “I am French first and foremost. I left as a player, then as a coach. I live in London, but I’m French, proud of it and always have been. It was logical, clear, it made sense,” asserts Henry, often criticized during his career for his distance from the French public.
Relaunched by its former partner on the major objective of its mandate, the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, “Titi” wanted to pay tribute to one of its former coaches. “When you think about the Olympics in France, the goal is gold” according to Henry. “Immediately, I thought of Aimé Jacquet. He gave us a vision, he visualized something, he allowed us to dream, he made us believe that we could win the World Cup. When you visualize a goal, dream about it and think about it, it usually works out in your favor if you have prepared well. »
Despite an eventful start to his coaching career, marked by a chaotic experience in Monaco (2018-2019) and aborted in Montreal (2020), Henry remains in love with his new profession, always driven by transmission. “If you watch a match with me, I’ll tire you out,” he laughed with Lizarazu. “I will always need to explain to you what happened. I have a need to transmit and to give. I was missing something. »
Asked by the former left side of the Blues about his evolution, the new boss of the Espoirs affirms that the Covid year has changed him. “She made me human. At one point, I was in robot mode, in my own thing. I like to laugh but it didn’t show, I was in killer mode. When I left for Montreal, during the covid period, we did hotel – training – match. You never go home. I stopped because I felt that if I had another year like that, I could go into a tailspin. »
From now on, Henry’s goal is “to make (his) players smarter” as two of his previous coaches, Arsène Wenger and Pep Guardiola, did for him. “You remember the coaches who helped you develop. I often say that Arsene Wenger opened my mind, but Pep Guardiola opened my eyes. »
#French #proud #Thierry #Henrys #clarification