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Montreal Impact manager and former France star Thierry Henry said the world is “one country” when it comes to battling the COVID-19 pandemic.
Henry was hired as the Impact’s manager last December and was off to a bright start in 2020, taking four points from two league matches before the league shut down on March 12. Montreal had also progressed to the quarterfinals of the CONCACAF Champions League, though it fell to Honduran side Olimpia 2-1 in the first leg.
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Speaking on a video conference with reporters, Henry was asked how he’s coping with MLS being shut down as well as the fact that his native France, whose Prime Minister effectively cancelled the remainder of Ligue 1 on Tuesday, has been one of the harder-hit countries. Quebec has borne the brunt of the virus’ impact in Canada, with over 25,000 cases and in excess of 1,600 deaths.
“Wherever you are, we’re all worried about our families, about how everyone is, make sure we’re respecting the rules by staying at home, and not passing on that obviously vicious virus,” Henry said. “I try to speak with my family as much as I can; know how they are, see how they are doing. Are they coping with everything that’s happening? But I think for me right now it’s not a French thing or whatever the thing is. We all need to be together as human beings and we’re all one country right now and I think that’s what I’m sensing from everyone.”
Henry added that the uncertainty surrounding when MLS might return has been among the harder aspects he’s had to cope with. The same is true for his players, who are having to stay fit despite being forced to spend time away from their teammates.
“You can talk about the motivation, [it] isn’t always easy,” he said. “It can be easy for me, I see it as an easy thing if you’re a competitor, you have to train and work hard and be ready for whatever is gonna come your way. But at times I guess it’s not always an easy story to know when you’re coming back. A competitor would like to know when he’s going to compete. But you have to be ready for it.”
Henry says he’s spending his days working out, cooking, and even cleaning up around the house.
“It seems like you need to clean the house every two minutes because usually you’re not at home and cooking that much,” he said.
But the game is never far from Henry’s mind.
“One of the things that I do is thinking about the games that we play. I know there are not a lot, but the situation made it like that,” he said. “But I’m thinking about stuff that we might change or not, how we can play or what can be the next step, or a new way of training. Are we going to do the same way, or not? A lot of stuff I’m going in my head some time during the day.”