Jean-Louis Gasset: «The ball’s in the players’ court»
While many of the team’s main players will be resting during the match Wednesday in Troyes, which is in the last 32 stage of the Coupe de France, Jean-Louis Gasset announced that he will be giving players who have been called upon less as well as youths from the Academy a chance to shine.
Did the performance of your team in Nice reassure you?
Their overall performance satisfied me but the result is disappointing when you consider the investment that the players made. If we had scored even one goal, that would have done us some good. We have to be positive because we’re starting to put a good line-up together and to find a precise way of playing but there’s still work to do.
What do you think of Troyes, your next adversary ?
I don’t know what Jean-Louis Garcia is going to do, their coach, because I don’t know the team’s goal concerning the Coupe. When you look at the rankings, you realize that your team’s ranking can quickly change, so I prefer to spare my team for the championship in light of the busy schedule. The difference between our two teams is that Troyes is a team that is accustomed to fighting. We aren’t used to going out to war..
Can the Coupe de France create a dynamic for ASSE?
Yes, but above all for the team. Against Troyes, many of the team’s main players will stay in Saint-Etienne. The players who have been lacking game time will have the opportunity to show me that I made a mistake by not playing them. A few of them let me down in Metz, I hope that tomorrow they show me that it was an accident. It’s time for them to show us what they’re made of because I really wanted to take on the responsibility for the defeat but I wasn’t on the field. When we have an opportunity to score, we can’t let it go by. Everyone has to play their part.
Do you think you’ll be able to count on some of the players from the Academy?
I’m taking some of the very talented youths with me who I don’t have the opportunity to see often at the training sessions. This afternoon, I’ll go see some of them during today’s training session to see if they’re ready to participate in a match. Because our team could change in the next days.
What is Loïs Diony’s condition?
There isn’t any problem with Diony. I had a discussion with him and I saw that he was unhappy. Under these circumstances, it’s better that he leaves in order to get his confidence back in another club. It’s a win-win situation for everyone. After I came here, I tried to play him because he had been good with Dijon last year but he was used to play with another tactics. He put a lot of pressure on himself in regards of his transfer and it’s better that he goes get better elsewhere in order to come back stronger to Saint-Etienne. That’s all I wish for him because he’s a good guy.
What is your priority?
Today, my goal is to put together the best team possible in order to get the club out of the difficult circumstances we find ourselves in. We need to create harmony among the recruits and the work during the training sessions is essential in regards of the next few matches in the championship, such as the match against Caen. We’re going to play our fourth match in 12 days tomorrow night, and Saturday, will be our fifth. We have to win 6 or 7 matches and I know that it’s in the Geoffroy-Guichard stadium where we’ll pull ahead and no longer have to worry about maintaining our Ligue 1 status. The proof is that we won 2-0 against Nîmes and Toulouse even if our performance didn’t inspire much confidence. Away from our home turf, it’s more difficult to win.
