This press conference was originally published in French on staderennais.com.
The meeting with the players after Reims:
“It was important to see each other the day after the game to do some video analysis and talk about our views of what happened, which can be different sometimes. I wanted to listen to them and go over certain things again. The goal isn’t to take responsibility away or to incriminate one another but to understand what happened and find solutions to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
The bad run in the league:
“Football is a sport of duels first and foremost. When you’re not in the right state of mind, you’re immediately punished. The important thing is to understand why. What helps us move forward in this kind of situation is improving certain tactical elements, as well as our attitude, which wasn’t right for sport at the highest level. Above all, you have to bounce back. We can’t influence what’’s happened but we can still control what will happen in the future. That’s what’s important to me.“
Thursday’s game:
“It’s a great opportunity to show that our bad day at the office on Sunday, to put it mildly, was just a one-off and that we’re capable of bouncing back four days later against a great team. We’ll have to show another side to us. After Reims, I thought a lot about the fans and the owners. I think we need to show them that we’re out for revenge. This is a big opportunity against a great team to show that we’re capable of reaching a certain level. We shouldn’t have any inhibitions and we need to be confident in ourselves.“
The opponents:
“They’re a team that have very little possession, that really prioritise quick attacks. They create very few chances, they don’t shoot at goal a lot. They’re actually quite similar to us. But we know that they’re used to playing in the Champions League, they played in the final two years ago. We don’t know what kind of team they’ll put out because they have a very important game on Sunday against Chelsea. So we have to be ready for anything, to play our own game and certainly not be as reactive as we were on Sunday, when we were like spectators.”
Any changes? :
“We’re still thinking about it. We know what we want to do but sometimes our hand is forced by other things that happen. I’ve always said that there are two possible systems of play with the players I have at my disposal. What I want is for us to control possession and take risks. We’re continuing to work towards this. I want my team to show character, desire and drive, and play a brand of football that gets people excited.
A young squad:
“Some of them have already played in the Champions League. We have a young squad but that’s no excuse. I’m here to reassure them and help them with my European experience. The experience is also knowing that we have to raise all aspects of our play: technical, physical, tactical and concentration. We have to reach a level that’s higher than we’re used to in Ligue 1.”
Team news:
“Jérémy Doku and Lovro Majer are out. The good news is that Birger Meling is back in the squad. Martin Terrier is a major doubt. Alfred Gomis’ self-isolation period is over so he’s available again. Everyone else is 100% fit to play.