Jean-Louis Gasset: «The principal objective is to earn 42 points»
The Verts’ coach is clear that ASSE must secure their Ligue 1 status as quickly as possible before, eventually, pursuing other ambitions.
Does the time game against Dijon (2-2) frustrate you?
Yes, we were frustrated, after the performance that we delivered at the onset of the game, to not to have opened the score. With our performance during the first 15 minutes, we deserved to have scored. The scenario was a catastrophe but, we did our best, we earned a point by striving towards our goal and with our fans behind us. We fell behind, but this time, we took the bull by the horns. We played well and we dominated.
Why did you allow Oussama Tannane to train with the professional team?
It’s now been one month since he started working with Laurent Batlles and he’s been working very well. He’s efficient with the second team. He’s had a state of mind that has been irreproachable with the young players and he deserved that I see where he is. Moreover, that’s what I had said to him. He performed well during this week of training. He’s someone that can score, dribble, make effective use of dead ball situations. He’s really an interesting player. When he arrived, I was wary but he understood, he worked. When I heard people speaking about him, it was because he had scored two goals twice, not for anything else. We can give people a second chance.
Does your undefeated streak encourage you to be more ambitious?
I haven’t forgotten that we were in 16th place not a long time ago. Today, we have much more confidence, more serenity, more smiles. Our fans smile with us. We try to win matches by playing a great football, which brings risks. Our principal objective is to earn 42 points.
Are you surprised by Rennes” progress?
When I see their team, I’m not surprised. Rennes has a high quality team with very talented, young players. The team just earned 10 points out of a possible 12. I don’t think that Rennes will be far from the top 5 teams at the end of the season.
During your training sessions what did you focus on in order to prepare for your trip to Rennes?
We continued our work on our offensive game and worked our midfielders and our defenders so that we won’t be caught off guard. Playing as an away team will change things a bit for us. We won’t be obliged to go on the offensive to earn three points. Like in Lyon, we can play with an awaiting behaviour. In February, we won twice and evened the score at the last minute during the Derby. We’ll see how our adversaries managed the situation. It’s difficult to dominate every game.
What is your opinion of Yann M’Vila, who will return this Saturday to the club where everything began for him?
He went out of my scope of vision for a bit, I left him when he was 20. Today, he’s 27 and a father of four children. He’s matured. He understands his errors. He also understands that his elders speak to him in order to give him good advice. We need a player like him, who gives confidence to the team and who wants the ball. Even at 50%, he can make people play his game.
