Posted by

Steve Bottjer ,

February 28, 2014 Email Steve Bottjer Twitter @BottjerRNO

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Wandrille Lefèvre

Born in Chartres, France, Wandrille Lefèvre is a 24 year old central defender with the Montreal Impact. As one of an impressive group of players to have graduated from the Montreal Impact Academy to the ranks of the professional squad, Lefèvre is expected to play an important role with an Impact squad that will kick off their 2014 MLS campaign on March 8th away to FC Dallas.



RedNation recently had the chance to catch up with Lefèvre to discuss his transition from playing as a midfielder to playing as a central defender, learning from Italian legend Alessandro Nesta and his experiences in the preseason playing under new Impact Head Coach Frank Klopas.



RedNation Online (RNO): Wandrille, you have been playing significant minutes as a central defender during Montreal’s preseason matches. How would you evaluate your performances in the preseason so far?



Wandrille Lefèvre: It’s has been going pretty well. Even though the last two results are not what we would expect, we are still growing as a group and especially growing defensively. The defensive aspect was probably one of our weaknesses last year, so we are trying to improve every day and in each game we play.



From a personal standpoint, it has been good. I’m doing well and getting more confident and I’m playing with players like Matteo (Ferrari) and Hassoun (Camara). They have confidence in me and I trust them. So it is going well.



RNO: Adjusting to a new Head Coach is a challenge for any player. What has been the biggest difference so far in terms of playing under Frank Klopas vs Marco Schällibaum?



Wandrille Lefèvre: I would say that the main difference is that we didn’t react much last year when we realized that we were allowing a lot of goals because we were still scoring a lot of goals. This year the goal is if we score one or two goals in a game, that it gives us a chance to win. We don’t want to win games by score lines like 3-2, 5-3 and 4-3. We want to win games 1-0 or 2-1, so we aren’t allowing more than one goal.



If we allow one goal, we want that to be our maximum. That is one of the goals that has been put in place by the coaching staff and we are trying to respect that. Like I said, we did not achieve that goal in the past two games, but we are still improving and we will be ready for the first game of the season.



RNO: You played as an attacking midfielder during your time with the Impact Academy and then signed with the Impact senior team as a defensive midfielder. Then last season you played the majority of your games as a central defender. How has the transition to central defense gone and has it been determined that centre back is your long-term role at the professional level?



Wandrille Lefèvre: Yes, I think (it has been determined that is my role). Last year when I signed with the club I was more of a holding midfielder. But I had a chance to help the team at the position of centre back because Nelsen Rivas was injured and even Nesta was injured a couple of times. Around the month of July, my coach and Nick De Santis came up to me and told me that they saw me in that position long-term. They asked me if I had a problem with that and I told them no.



To be honest, what is good for me is because the position is new I can see that I still have a lot to learn and I think I have a higher ceiling as a central defender (compared to playing as a holding midfielder or as an attacking midfielder).



RNO: Given your transition to central defense, how valuable was it to have a player such as Alessandro Nesta on the roster last season?



Wandrille Lefèvre: For sure it helped. He helped the players a lot because he is a really nice guy. He understood that it was a new position for me and he understood that he could play a role as a veteran because of his experience. He spoke to me a lot after the games I played and he was working with me every day and helping a lot. When you have a guy like Nesta, who can help you with that type of advice, for sure you are listening to him and trying to apply what he says on the field.



RNO: Montreal announced on Thursday that Nesta has joined the Impact technical staff as a consultant. Has there been any discussion of him still playing a role in working with you and the other young defenders on the Impact roster?



Wandrille Lefèvre: To be honest, I only learned of the news this morning. But what I can say for sure is that he will clearly bring added value to the team. Last year having Nesta playing on the field was a value for the team and for the young players to learn. Now having him watch the games from outside the pitch is for sure something that will be valuable to the team. We have to listen to what he is going to say and I hope we will have a lot of feedback from him.



RNO: You’ve been quoted as saying that Nesta spoke to you about how he travelled a similar path to becoming a central defender, starting out his career as a midfielder, but ultimately moving to the back line for various reasons. Do you think your approach to the central defender position and your skillset as a former midfielder make you a different player compared a defender who has been mostly groomed as a defender throughout his development?



Wandrille Lefèvre: Yes, I can see that angle. Like I have said when I have been asked that question, it helps especially with the ball. I was used to reacting quickly with the ball at my feet and playing both long and short balls to find space. For sure this is one of my strengths as a player. I want to use it as much as I can. For example, a player like Matteo will create an angle and is really ready to give me the ball, so I can really make a difference with strong first passes. He knows that it is one of my strengths. Defensively, it is different because you have to keep everything in front of you.



RNO: Your story is an interesting one in that just a few years ago you were in university and had basically given up on your dream of playing professional football. Given the manner in which things have played out and with your joining the professional ranks something that has now come to fruition, has it enhanced your determination to succeed and increased your passion for the game?



Wandrille Lefèvre: If you had told me 2-3 years ago that I would be getting as many minutes as I am in the preseason of a professional camp and that I might be ready to be in the position to start the season opener in Dallas, I would not have thought it was possible. I was so far from the pro level. It was very hard and I had to work on many aspects of my play on the pitch. I also wasn’t a full-time athlete and I had a lot of work to do improve my fitness. I also had to become a smarter player. I’m really happy and it is a dream that I am living now. I’m trying to enjoy every minute that I am living that dream.



RNO: Unlike other Impact Academy graduates such as Maxim Tissot, Karl Ouimette and Maxime Crépeau who spent all of their formative years in Canada, you grew up in France and moved to Montreal when you were 14 years old. What training did you receive in youth football in France and do you think your European background plays a role in how you might play and view the game differently compared to a Canadian player?



Wandrille Lefèvre: For sure it helped (growing up in France). But all of the Canadian guys were still watching a lot of games from Europe and loving the game and getting more and more interested in it. Just watching can help you a lot. So being in Europe can help, but it is also a case where just watching and being interested in what happens in the sport in both Europe and South America, you will get better just by watching those types of games and styles of play.



RNO: You hold a passport from France, but are a Canadian permanent resident. Any time a young player starts to rise to prominence as you have, the question of International football usually follows. Have you considered whether you might play for Canada at the International level should that opportunity arise?



Wandrille Lefèvre: To be honest, right now I have not really thought about it because my goal is to improve as a player for my club and my priority is the Montreal Impact. As you said, I am a permanent resident and not yet a Canadian and I feel more like a Montrealer than I do a Canadian. However, for sure, if it can happen one day, I will enjoy representing Canada because it is country that has given me a lot since I was 14 years old and I feel really comfortable with my life here. For sure I would be honoured to represent the country. However, right now the goals I have with my club are more important.



RNO: When you made your MLS debut, you came on in place of Alessandro Nesta and you’ve spoke of how special that occurrence was for you. Who were some of the players that you idolized growing up?



Wandrille Lefèvre: Because I wasn’t a central defender when I was young and because I was an offensive player and I am a French, I was dreaming of playing like Zinedine Zidane. In my opinion, he played soccer the right way and he came up big in important games. My player was and still is Zidane.