Halilhodzic to coach from hospital

Lille OSC coach Vahid Halilhodzic will give orders to his team from hospital when they tackle Montpellier Hérault SC on Saturday after fracturing four ribs during a skiing accident over the holidays.

Direct phone contact
The 49-year-old Bosnian will watch the French first division match on television and maintain direct telephone contact with his coaches. Assistant coach Bruno Baronchelli has confirmed that Halilhodzic will give pre-match instructions and also offer guidance once the match is under way. "I think we will be on the phone and he will watch the game on television," said Baronchelli. "As a consequence he will also be in charge of the team's preparation."

Punctured lung
Halilhodzic is not expected to return to the club until next month and has been recuperating in a Lille hospital for the past week following the accident on a black run, the steepest grade of slope, in Val d'Isère which also punctured one of his lungs. With LOSC sitting fourth in Le Championnat, eight points adrift of leaders RC Lens, the temporary loss of one of the most revered coaches in France is a blow to the club's title hopes.

Champions League adventure
He famously guided the club to promotion to the top flight and then oversaw an amazing third-place finish which earned LOSC a UEFA Champions League qualifying place. They beat AC Parma to reach the first group stage, where they lost out to RC Deportivo La Coruña and Manchester United FC. Although LOSC were denied Champions League progress by those clubs, they did qualify for the UEFA Cup, where they will now tackle BV Borussia Dortmund over two legs for a place in the last eight.

'He is always with us'
Baronchelli said Halilhodzic has shown no sign of reducing his workload as he strives to recover from his accident. "He is always with us, he constantly gets information from the staff and doctors on the players' health," said Baronchelli. "We have him on the phone two to three times a day and we go and see him at the end of the day. Considering what happened to him, he is fine. But he suffers a lot and really has to rest."

'Their spirit has not changed'
Baronchelli has been impressed by the players' professionalism since Halilhodzic's accident. "They are very concerned about the coach's situation but they remain concentrated on work," he added. "I have no doubt about their professional awareness and even if they might not be exactly the same as when Vahid is with them, their spirit has not changed."