Monterrubio : «Bölöni, one of the best managers I’ve worked with»

The arrival of Laszlo Bölöni at RC Lens was a good occasion for the media to question his former players about the Romanian manager.

Talking to RMC yesterday, Abdeslam Ouaddou underlined that his former coach at Rennes did not deserve his image of highly authoritarian coach. “I’ve got good memories of Laszlo Bölöni, the Moroccan international explained. He is demanding, it’s true, but people forget to say that behind this image of coldness, he is a great manager. He has the image of someone severe but he is not Vahid Halilhodžić ! ». Ouaddou, who has never been coached by Halilhodžić, with the latter leaving the club just before his arrival.

This Saturday, Olivier Monterrubio also remembered the “good old times” in La Voix du Nord. “He is very rigorous in his work, the former Rennes player explains. But despite his image, he is also able to crack a joke, have a laugh with his players, it’s a very important quality in a squad. He might not always go towards the players, but if they have something to tell him, the door to his office is always open”.

The collaboration between the two men wasn’t always ideal however, with Bölöni often preferring to leave Monterrubio on the bench for away games. “we had little arguments one or two times, “Rubio” admits. But he doesn’t hold any grudges”.

Monterrubio is keen on heaping praise on his former mentor. “Laszlo Bölöni is one of the best managers I’ve ever had, he affirms. under his management, I’ve given the most assists in the League three times”. And he refuses his reputation as a defensive coach. “From midfield, there were only attacking players such as Didot, Källström, Gourcuff, Sorlin, Frei and I, the Lorient man reminds. However, as every manager those days, he knows how important ball recovery is. Ask Frei, he learnt to defend with him…”.

Playing very little at FC Lorient, Monterrubio seems to near the end of his career. “I’m not really part of the coach’s tactics anymore at Lorient, he explains. He told me at the beginning of the season, but I wanted to stay for the last year of my contract. I’m now thinking about my future”. The former Rennes player, who will turn 35 in August this year, could well hang his boots at the end of this season.