Jean-Louis Gasset: "I am expecting something great

What was your priority this past week?

First of all we analyzed our performance against Bordeaux in order to find out why we played so passively. We arrived at the conclusion that our most experienced players and those that joined us during the break were not prepared to play at 3:00 in the afternoon with such warm weather. I could’ve had some fresher players play this match but as we had just earned a great victory in Montpellier, I didn’t want to make any changes. After this analysis, we dramatically changed our preparation for the next two matches, including the one against Monaco.

Will you proceed to make changes during the last two matches?

As soon as you loose a match or as soon as the team seems a bit less effective, it’s maybe the time to bring in fresh players. I’ve always boasted about the state of mind of the team, it has always been irreproachable, even those who have played less have never protested. I know that I can count on them. We still have 180 minutes to play and we still have a few scrapes and bruises from the last match, you have to take all of that into consideration.

In this regard, what is the physical state of your team right now?

Jonathan Bamba received a blow to the calf and Gabriel Silva is complaining about his knee. The whole group got back to training today with some jogging and, logically, everyone will train normally tomorrow. If that’s the case, there’ll be some choices to make.

“We’ve shown that we know how to outperform our opponents as an away team”

In what state of mind will you travel to Monaco after your defeat last week?

It’s only one defeat after an undefeated streak that spans 13 matches. This match must not erase the great results we’ve had before facing Bordeaux. There’s still two extraordinary matches for us to play and the first one will be against Monaco. We’re currently sitting on 5 victories and 2 tie games, we’ve shown that we know how to outperform our opponents as an away team even if Monaco is till Monaco. They’re the defending, French champion, with great players who do not yield and who are capable of scoring during the last few minutes of a game like they did in Caen. For our part, we tied in Lyon and we held Marseille in check, then Paris on our home turf. We’ve shown that we know how to take on great teams, so why not do the same against Monaco? I’m expecting something great.

Do you feel pressured as the end of the championship draws near?

We still have two matches to play, we’re preparing for them with the utmost professionalism in order to take the points that remain to be taken. According to the rankings, we can finish in 5th or 9th place but three months ago, we would have loved to be that highly ranked in the championship. Many renowned specialists did not picture us finishing like this. We’ll try to hang in there for a Europa League qualification because European competitions are in the DNA of this club.

ASSE supporters are prohibited from attending the game in Monaco. What is your opinion of this?

Whenever a stadium isn’t full, I’m not happy. In Angers, there were 600 fans and they made as much noise as 10,000. It was great to see the players go to greet them at the end of the match. I love Football and for me it has to be a celebration. This season, I loved the choreographic performances of our fans. Playing in an empty stadium is not motivating.