Last season international Kevin Hecquefeuille ended a 20-year career. Now he is the coach of Mulhouse, which pleasantly surprises at the start of the season, before facing Rouen this Friday (8:00 p.m.) in matchday five of the Magnus League.
No waiting time. For Kévin Hecquefeuille, one race ended last season, another started a few weeks ago. When the scorpions of Mulhouse I finish 11 After the last year of the Magnus League, the 37-year-old international has decided to end his 20-year playing career, which will have seen him pass through Amiens and Grenoble, but also through Sweden, Germany and Switzerland. ” I would have liked better last season and play the play-offs, feel the adrenaline. But it lacked a bit of everything.Hecquefeuille said. However, I don’t want to complain. I was a professional for 20 years. I won sometimes, I knew the France team (10 participations in the Elite World Championship). »
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Magnus League results and standings
Three wins in the first three games
And the Alsatian club, where he has played for the last five years, has decided to appoint him coach. As he had done, a few years earlier, with another France national team player, Yorick Treille. ” Since I came back to France (in 2017)I was thinking about training “, Slides Kévin Hecquefeuille, who signed for two years. The previous season he had already gotten his hands dirty, becoming the assistant to Erwan Agostini (now manager of Mulhouse), mainly doing video work. Before the start of this season, the French coach also signed up for training. He will approve his coaching diplomas in June. Hecquefeuille also took the phone from him. ” I talked a lot with the coaches.he says. To understand, receive ideas, advice. It was important to exchange, it helped me. Today I feel great. »
Because his debut as a coach is encouraging. During the first three days of the Magnus League, the Scorpions won Briancon (5-1), Amiens (3-2) Y Nice (3-2 tabs)before losing in Grenoble (4-1)Tuesday, the big cylinder of the championship. But, with two minutes to go, it was still 2-1. The isérois scored another two goals, taking advantage of the goal left by the Alsatians. ” We must trust this game to keep progressing.says Kevin Hecquefeuille. The players work well together and the attitude is there. Mulhousien Quentin Papillon is also one of the top three goalkeepers in the Ligue Magnus and Latvia’s Emils Gegeris is co-leader in assists.
The Scorpions, however, do not take advantage of this good start to the season. Sanctioned with four points by the National Commission for Surveillance and Management Control (CNSCG), due to non-compliance with federal regulations, they only occupy seventh place in the ranking. ” This is obviously not ideal.Hecquefeuille says. But we don’t talk about it with the players, because we don’t control it. So we should not mentally scatter. And that does not change our way of seeing things. We haven’t really set ourselves a goal this season. You have to win as many matches as possible. The goal is to be a difficult team to play. »
Another drawback, apart from the penalty points, the team is a bit tight on defense. He has just signed the Canadian Sami Pharaon, who arrived from Finland, but is looking for a replacement for the American Joshua Ess, who after signing this summer finally gave up. Not ideal when another large part of the Ligue Magnus take on the Scorpions with the Rouen Dragons on Friday. ” After Grenoble, it’s a tough but good sequence.says Kevin Hecquefeuille. Tuesday’s game showed the great intensity that these types of teams can put up. It was a good preparation to face Rouen. »
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