ASSE prepare Metz behind closed doors after first defeat

Saint-Etienne will prepare for Saturday’s trip to Metz entirely away from public view, giving Ian Cathro a private week to shape his team’s response to its first setback. The change marks a more discreet build-up than the one before the previous fixture.

ASSE lost 2-1 at Dunkerque, ending a run of five successive victories and bringing the club’s perfect start to a halt. Cathro must now determine whether his players can retain their established principles after suffering their first defeat of the campaign.

The club’s published schedule lists every professional-team training session as closed until the journey to Moselle. Some sessions had remained accessible in the period before the Dunkerque match, making the contrast particularly clear this week.

The decision cannot be directly linked to the defeat on the available facts. It may instead reflect the staff’s usual wish to protect tactical preparation before an important fixture. The closed sessions will nevertheless give Cathro and his assistants greater privacy as they address the situations that proved costly in the north. Metz will provide the first opportunity to see how Saint-Etienne has absorbed the loss.