Jean-Louis Gasset: "Sometimes you have to be crazy!"

Could you have predicted such an outcome?

That would have been impossible. It happens once in a career, having matches like that, matches that are a bit crazy. 4-3, at the last minute, that’s good. It’s good that we won. Three points in the end and that’s the main thing. We had a poor October with 2 points out of 9. Today, we had to give it our all and starting winning again. The players saw things through. The substitues were excellent. That’s how I like Saint-Étienne’s team. The team has strengths and weaknesses. When you let in two goals from a corner kick and a long throw…We knew that they excelled in dead ball situations. Despite everything, we weren’t finished at half time. I asked the players to continue passing on the wings, to control the game, to not get worked up. Despite the goal that put the score at 2-3, the fans had an incredible reaction. They pushed us forward to tie the game and win.

What did you need to reverse the direction of a match that seemed to be off to a poor start?

Determination especially. When we were losing, there was a kind of rebellion. That’s what I liked. My players found it unjust to be losing. This giving of oneself pleases me. We can miss shots and passes and lack control of the ball. But in front of fans like that, we’re obliged to give it our all. And I’m speaking about the team collectively, about the fourteen players, about the eleven that began the game and about the three substitutes. The team was all here for the match today. That’s been rare since the beginning of the season.

Would you have liked more control after the goal that put the score at 2-1 in your favour?

You don’t control matches like our second half, with opportunities and openings to score. Despite that, after 6 matches on our home turf, we have a total of 4 victories and 2 ties. We’re trying to respond positively to every situation. When the players are in this state of mind, it’s easier.

You were asking for more consistency from your players before the match.

There were moments when we were performing significantly worse, fairly often. I have the feeling that even if there were moments when we struggled to regain possession of the ball, we gave it our all. The offensive line was good. The strikers went deep, tried to get the ball and went back to defend. That’s what I want.

Is winning after so many surprising twists even more important for the morale of your team?

A victory is always good for confidence. Taking three points after a complicated month like we just went through, that’s a good thing. Right now, if we slack off and play very slowly, we’re not good. Sometimes, you have to be crazy! Next week, we’ll face Reims who has one of the best defensive lines. That’ll be another match during which we’ll have to be patient, be technical and use openings to score.