Jean-Louis Gasset : "I appeal to the sacred union"

Have you moved past the frustration caused by the match against PSG?

It was our third match of the week. We decided to defend well and counter. In the end, we defended well and countered poorly, even if during the game Gabriel Silva had an opportunity to score that could have been the turning point of the match. But, we lost due to an amazing goal. A 4-pass move and a volley that put the ball in the top corner of our opponents’ net. We saw them play last Tuesday in Manchester. They had more or less the same team. We unsettled them. In the last 15 minutes, I had strikers enter the game and the opposing coach had defenders enter the game. We finished with Beric, Diony, Khazri and Cabella in front. He had Kurzawa and Kimpembé enter the game. He wanted to maintain this score because he felt that, if we rushed them, we could have tied the game.

Does the match in Dijon assume a special importance after this defeat?

Every match is important. I see many teachers who critique the system or the players. When we lose, we’re wrong. And we’re wrong because we lost 1-0 against PSG. We’re moving on. This championship is very tight. From 10th to 4th place we’re practically neck and neck. We have to regain momentum.

Do you see this match as revenge for the Coupe de France match that ended in defeat in the Geoffroy-Guichard stadium a short time ago (3-6)?

Revenge? In December, we won 3-0 in the championship. The Cup match took place after the ones against Marseille and Lyon in the same week. I wanted to change up the lineup. That wasn’t pleasing, especially in front of our fans. But, in Cup matches, the score is trivial. Either you move on or you’re eliminated. We were eliminated from the Coupe de France by Dijon. That’s all.

With the arrival of Antoine Kombouaré on DFCO’s bench, do you find this team to be changed?

They have the same players, maybe the freshness of a new coach, who brings rigor. He wants his players to tear up the field. But, the players are the same. To be honest, I don’t worry too much about Dijon. I have enough trouble with my team and choosing 18 players. We’re leaving tomorrow (Thursday) and, frankly, I don’t yet know the team. These three matches ruined us. There are still doubts we must alleviate that concern some remaining soldiers.

We saw many smiles at the training session this Wednesday…

I loved it. Even if the terrain was bad, we had a very good, fun training session. Which is a way of giving the strikers confidence. When we score due to an unexpected rebound, I smile. When, on the other hand, I lose a player because the terrain is not of good quality, that bothers me. That’s one of the obstacles that we must deal with right now.

How are you tackling this?

I want the entire club to remain focused on the end of the championship despite all the obstacles that are in our path. Focused. There are many obstacles, discussions, injuries. There’s the VAR, the transfer window. Everyone must remain focused. We still have 13 matches to play and 3 months remaining in the competition. I appeal to the sacred union. We have no time to lose with all this gossip.