Ghislain Printant : "Become a conquering team again"

Looking back, what is your analysis of the defeat in Gand (3-2) in the UEFA Europa League?

I always feel much frustration, because we had the means to secure a positive outcome. But what’s most important, currently, is finding the answers to our problems. That’s my responsibility and I’m putting all of my energy into it. We must correct our errors to perform well and bounce back with success.

Does the number of goals let in worry you?

Individual errors are unfortunately part of the game. It’s difficult to control, even when you’ve taken the time to warn the players. Alas, as soon as you have to try to even the score, everything becomes difficult. Our game plan is to recapture balls far from our net, which we do, but we haven’t yet found a good balance and a good defensive base.

Are you thinking of changing your approach or your organization?

My concern is to make ASSE perform as well as possible and it’s not a question of tactics. You have to recognize the freshness of the players. At this moment, the defensive sector is limited by certain withdrawals or by the freshness of certain players. It’s clear that I’m going to adapt my system by implementing a few changes starting this weekend because the most important thing is the match that’s waiting for us in Angers. 

Exactly, what do you think of your adversary?

Angers is a team that performs very well on an athletic level. They demonstrate much intensity, that’s what allows them to remain undefeated on their home turf. It’s up to us to respond with what we have in our arsenal. Having a large number of players makes perfect sense, I’ll be able to bring in some fresh blood.

Are you going to give a special message to your players before the trip?

I actually planned to address the team before leaving for Angers. We can’t be satisfied with what we’ve done up until done. We have to demonstrate many more qualities of a strong team in order to once again become a conquering team and halt this downward spiral. That’s my goal.