Jean-Louis Gasset : "A deserved victory"

It’s a logical outcome. We earned and deserved this victory over the course of the entire match. Bordeaux’s high pressure offensive made us suffer but in the second period, we had technical control of the game. Bordeaux was maybe tired but we knew how to be decisive. The first goal was when things clicked into place. As soon as we took the lead, we felt confident, we tried things and that turned out well for us.

The situation sorted itself out in the second half.

In the first half, Bordeaux thwarted us. We lacked speed in our transitions, and our players, who have good skills, were losing easy balls. But we defended well, that’s the basis of Football. 

What do you take away from this beautiful victory?

The mindset of my players and that of Mathieu Debuchy especially. I saw him suffer and limp slightly for 30 seconds. He left the field but he came back and scored those two goals. We do this job to work with players like him.

Did Wahbi Khazri’s and Mathieu Debuchy’s performances please you?

Wahbi Khazri and Mathieu Debuchy have the habit of playing decisive matches. They’re there at the right moment but a team is a collective. There are 6 matches remaining. We can’t lose concentration.

Are you paying attention to the rankings?

We’re in 4th place again but it’s only one step. When you look behind, you see that we’re two points ahead. When you look ahead, you say that we’re three points behind. There are still 18 points to take, so we’re going to continue to advance. Since Lille, we took 10 points out of a possible 12 and scored 12 goals. Our track record is positive. Our team is experienced and becomes interesting when they feel the home stretch coming.

What teachings have you pulled from the three matches that you just followed in the stands?

We see certain details that we can communicate on the bench. I also noticed that Ghislain Printant was great on the bench. I wonder if I shouldn’t stay in my attic (smile).