Jean-Louis Gasset : "This fouth place makes us happy"

What are your feelings after this victory?

It was a funny weekend. Playing on a Monday, seeing the game from the stands… We began the match very poorly. Then, we had a good first half during which we deserved to have scored more goals. We suffered a bit of a slump in the second half but, with this team, no one gives up and everyone is very generous. This good mindset was rewarded by Robert Beric’s goal. Against a team like Nîmes that always plays for broke, I’m happy to have won.

This evening, the use of the VAR smiled on you with Robert Beric’s goal.

That’s true. But, in regards of Valentin Vada’s pass, Robert wasn’t offside. I was lucky to be well placed, with a screen beside me. We did benefit from that.

What made the difference?

I said to the players that the match against Caen was supposed to be the beginning of something. This match was won with a very good mindset. Caen wasn’t a bad team, by the way yesterday (Sunday), they won in Monaco. It was up to us to maintain the same momentum. The difference is that, this time, we let in a goal quickly while fifteen days ago, it was the opposite. But, the players didn’t drop their gaze, they continued to play. The two goalies delivered spectacular performances. Stéphane (Ruffier) made the three or four blocks that allowed us to win.

The odds could have incidentally tipped in your favour well before now.

You rarely see a match with so many openings to score. The final score could have been 6-5! They had their strong period in the second half, for us it was the opposite. We retreated after having scored because we wanted to defend our lead. That’s the accomplishment of a team that always tries to play. Fourth place makes us quite happy. From now on, we’re going to be the hunted and no longer the hunters.

In the end, your choices paid off with Robert Beric and Arnaud Nordin who started the game.

Robert, he’s the striker! He’s there at the right time and in the right place. Arnaud scored in Caen, this evening, he had some opportunities. That’s where he must progress. But, we must give him time to gain confidence. He’s in the process of moving up a notch. He’s just missing the final touch. When he has the same insight as Rémy to hook the ball just above the goalie, he’ll become a next-level player.