TRYING YEAR FOR HENRY
Impact manager challenged
Wednesday marked the one-year anniversary of Thierry Henry's introduction as Impact manager — a day when it felt like Montreal was the epicentre of soccer, with one individual arguably overshadowing the club.
Perhaps that was always the organization's intention, although it wasn't Henry's. He has never made it about himself. But a year later, we can say we know little about the 43-year-old former Arsenal star striker, a gifted player in his own right.
The coronavirus pandemic forced the Impact to play on the road most of the season — first near Orlando for the MLS is Back tournament and then, since mid- September, in Harrison, N.J. With no practices and few games to attend, the brief glimpses into Henry's character have come from video conferences.
“If there's something you don't know about me, it's because I don't want you to know,” Henry told the Montreal Gazette on Wednesday, during a candid and engaging phone interview, as he continues his weeklong Montreal media blitz prior to Friday's Eastern Conference play-in playoff game against New England.
Henry certainly isn't the same person, or manager, he was last November. The pandemic forced him into being a coach, father figure, motivator and psychologist. There was no home to return to at the end of the day, only a cold and empty hotel room, alone with his thoughts.
“Hands-down, this is the hardest thing I've had to deal with,” he said. "You can't compare ... because it's never happened before. As a player, you deal with your own problems. As a coach, you deal with everybody's problems. I'm not complaining ... but it wasn't always easy.
“At one point, we all paused because of COVID. It's one of the things we all struggled with,” he added. “At one point, we had to talk to ourselves. When you're in quarantine, alone at home, at times you're faced with questioning yourself, knowing who you are and where you want to go.”
If Henry was the players' sounding board, he credits everyone else — players, his assistants and support staff — for getting him through the difficult times, overcoming any loneliness or indecision. And he learned the importance of mental health since his, and everyone else's, resilience was tested and challenged.
“It's always going to be on me, and I'll never shy away from the responsibility,” he said. "I'm just trying to solve problems. Sometimes it works. At the end of the day, it's a player's game. They decide. They want it or they don't. It's on them. I'm just trying to guide.
“The guys helped and motivated me. The fans, the club, whomever's connected kept me going.”
The Impact has been a graveyard for coaches, Henry becoming the seventh man at the helm since Jesse Marsch in 2011.
No one has lasted a full three seasons and it remains to be seen whether Henry, signed through 2021 with an option for 2022, will break that trend.
But he's also the first since 2016 to guide the team into the playoffs, albeit with a losing record. And he's already lasted longer than he did with Monaco in France's Ligue 1, his first foray into head coaching, when he was fired following 20 games. “Montreal gave me time,” he said, his message implicit.
Henry has quickly realized not every player possesses his natural talent. Tactics aside, his style is to always go forward with passes as opposed to individual effort, understanding the ball always travels quicker than the player.
Henry is passionate, honest to a fault and desperately wants his players to succeed while bringing the best out of them. Mistakes will be tolerated, but not a lack of desire. And he has learned to move on following a defeat, rather than allowing the loss to fester.
“I want the best out of everybody,” he said. "That's why I try to push people to their limit. It was very difficult to do this year. Do you make the players better collectively?
“If you don't make mistakes, you don't succeed. The only thing I won't accept is a player who doesn't try. I never talk about quality; everyone has their own way of playing.”
Henry has a home in Westmount, one he's actually been able to live in the last little while, and a home in London he's not sure he'll get to at season's end. He also has a 15-yearold daughter there, although that topic remains private. As for his future? That's simple.
“The players dictate what's going to happen for the club and manager. It's a players' game,” he said.
If you don't make mistakes, you don't succeed. The only thing I won't accept is a player who doesn't try.