“We have to keep hope. We lost here, but there are a lot of matches left. The message of confidence from Romain Pitau was not enough. The defeat in Strasbourg (2-0), the 5th in six days of L1 in 2023, Sunday during the 22nd day of Ligue 1, was one too many. In a short press release, the Montpellier club announced on Tuesday that it was ending its collaboration with its coach and two assistants.
“Romain Pitau, Pascal Baills and Frédéric Mendy were informed today of their layoff as a precautionary measure of their functions within the men’s professional team”, specifies the club on social networks. In addition, President Laurent Nicollin will hold a press conference on Wednesday at 3 p.m. to clarify the sporting situation of the club, 15th in L1 with only two points ahead of Strasbourg, the first relegated.
Der Zakarian knows the house
The timing of the announcement may, however, challenge, insofar as Pitau, Baills and Mendy animated, this Tuesday afternoon, the training session as if nothing had happened. Appointed as interim coach on October 17 in place of Olivier Dall’Oglio, then confirmed on November 14, Pitau was finally in charge of the Hérault first team for 113 days. His record is hardly famous with 2 wins all won away to Lorient then Auxerre, 2 draws and 8 defeats in L1 without forgetting a premature elimination in the Coupe de France against Pau in the 32nd final (2-1).
To succeed him, many names circulate. According to our information, one of the hottest leads leads to Michel Der Zakarian, tenant of this position between 2017 and 2021. The latter had left Montpellier for Brest where he was dismissed from his post on October 11, 2022. I want to continue coaching and I will continue. At almost 60 years old, I have the fishing to go back to fight. I am attentive to all projects, whether in Ligue 1, or an ambitious Ligue 2. “, confided Der Zakarian, recently, in an interview with the Team.
