Claude Puel : "We have to make progress together"

Why did you lose the flow of the match after having scored the first goal?

We’re disappointed to not have managed this match like we should have done. The goal rewarded our very good start. Our performance was fluid and facilitated by good moves. Alas, after the goal, we relaxed and played less simply. Oleksandria is a very well-organized team. We didn’t find a solution because we made too much contact with the ball. We also conceded a goal by committing many defensive errors. Our second period was much better, even if we did not score. We played much better.

Were you surprised by Oleksandria’s performance?

Oleksandria is a very gallant and courageous team, that relies on effective positioning. The team was faithful to what I saw of them during their Coupe d’Europe matches and championship matches. This team has a good community, is well organized and shows themselves to be very disciplined. Oleksandria did not reach the group stage of the UEFA Europa League by accident. If we want to earn three points on their turf, we’ll have to raise our performance level.

Your team has now played five matches without defeat. Does the streak allow you to work more peacefully?

The good results facilitate the players’ listening and comprehension. But if we want to continue to win matches, we have to move on to higher levels and progress collectively. This analysis is valid for the youths and the more experienced players. I can be demanding with this team, but we don’t have much time to correct things. We have to work on some small sequences but also from the video. We’re still making too many mistakes, especially in regards of positioning, that we must correct in order to hope to have good results. Everything is still possible for the team, but we must improve. Certain sequences are interesting. Alas, we can quickly fall back into our bad habits because things are not yet natural or not sufficiently anchored yet.

How do you explain the times when your team lost the ball easily?

Our errors are not due to a lack of confidence, but the players must learn other game habits. When we play in front of dense blocks like that of Oleksandria, we have to use quicker and better-quality passes in order to get through our adversary’s block. We must play simply by making contact with the ball only once or twice and maintain lucidity with the ball in a way to create a collective response to the problems that we have. Our margin of improvement is important.