Jean-Louis Gasset: "The state of mind that we must have"

Will fatigue be a determining factor in this match?

Normally, you forget about your fatigue a little bit when its accompanied by good results, Right now, there’s a moment in the match when the fatigue catches up with you. We’ll have to wait for the good moment to strike, if Bordeaux is affected by their fatigue.

Was the victory against Nantes your best match to date?

What I have said, and the players also, is that it was our best match to date because we dominated it. We established our domination a bit late in the game but, with our strategy, which lets us wear down our opponent, it doesn’t matter. We waited for the last few minutes, the good moments when the substitutes took the field... Every match is different. Even with 30 years of experience, we don’t know what will happen.

Exactly, the substitutes pushed the team to victory. Is that the type of team that you want?

In regards of everyone, that’s what a team is. I repeat it often to the players: “leave it all out on the field when I give you time to play and team will win”. That’s the state of mind you must have. Every match has its truth. You have to be conscious of the utility of a player in a very specific situation, and moreover be conscious of this during every match. The 6 or 7 offensive players are of course focused on gaining playing time and efficiency.

How do you explain your track record on your home turf, where you’re undefeated, and your track record as an away team?

On our home turf, we have twelve players. We don’t want to deceive the public, that pushes us forward even when we play poorly or when we’re losing, like against Angers. The team lacked a bit of consistency, sometimes even a bit of personality. Even if, in Lyon, apart from the first fifteen minutes of the second half, I felt that we had taken things to the next level. We only lacked efficiency. That’s what we have to work on. There are still 4 matches before the break, we have to tackle them with the desire to take as many points as possible, and especially as an away team.

Can you speak to us in detail about your method?

It’s the people who work with you that speak the best about your method. I like to have the ball, but sometimes it’s pretentious because some teams are better than us and they seize the ball from us. But, when you see the match against Nantes, we’re making progress. If it’s possible, we’d also like to score the first goal a bit earlier to stop our hearts from beating so fast.