The first test for Thierry Henry as head coach of the Montreal Impact arrives Wednesday against Saprissa (8 pm ET | FS2, TUDNxtra 1 in US; TSN5, RDS in Canada), but the true exam will last 180 minutes.
That’s a reality Henry spoke to before the club’s Concacaf Champions League Round of 16 series begins in Costa Rica, knowing their home leg awaits next Wednesday at the Olympic Stadium in Montreal. In other words, the challenge ahead at the Estadio Ricardo Saprissa is only half the picture.
“What you want to see from the team is obviously trying to bring something back home,” Henry said. “It’d be great not to concede and score, right? I’ve seen ties also where teams have done that away and lost at home, I’ve seen teams winning well at home and losing badly away. You can never tell, as you say, there are two ties and you can’t get carried away with anything.”
Henry speaks of the precarious nature of continental tournaments with plenty of first-hand knowledge, namely from his UEFA Champions League exploits with Arsenal and Barcelona.
And he's not about to forecast anything in the top club competition of an unpredictable region such as Concacaf.
“It’s very difficult to talk about what can happen,” Henry said. “I’ve been in some games in my life where you think you’re going through and you’re not. I’ve been in some games where you think you’re not going to and you do. So, you have to play the game on the field. It’s two legs, don’t rush it, play it like it is.”
Montreal's 1W-4L-0D record in preseason isn't exactly encouraging, and there are plenty of questions about their attack, with the Impact shut out three times in those friendlies and longtime maestro Ignacio Piatti returned to San Lorenzo in Argentina.
But attacker Bojan Krkic, who joined in the Secondary Transfer Window last August from Stoke City, is eager to see meaningful competition.
“At this point of the season it’s early for us because we started one month ago, but like I said we’re ready and we’ve been training really hard for this game, also [to] start the season well,” Krkic. “We’re going to go tomorrow into the game 100 percent.”
And although he wouldn't make a prediction, he does have clear expectations for his first official game in charge.
“[Saprissa] have great players who can open you up at any time, tactically they’re very sound,” Henry said. “They can keep the ball well, very aggressive like you expect from this type of team. What I expect from my team is trying to be competitive, battle and see what we can bring back home."
