Pros Vendredi 01 Mars 2019 à 14h59

Jean-Louis Gasset : "We'll need warriors"

For the Stéphanois coach, the moral values of the team will be essential in winning the two matches that the Verts will play in one week.

By facing Marseille and Lille, did you prepare yourselves for these two tests?

You just have to look at the rankings. Marseille is coming back quickly. OM, by taking on Mario Balotelli, sent a very strong message during the winter transfer window. He’s a player that can stand the pressure. Marseille is hopeful again, their fans will come back, so their team is born again. Lille isn’t a surprise. Having 51 points proves their worth. These matches will be two tests for us even if, after, there will still be 30 points in the game. If we’re still in the fight at the beginning of May and playing on our home turf for two of the last three matches, we’ll be in the race.


In what state of mind must your players be?

We’ll need warriors. And I have some left. We built this team for that. Three are lying on their sides, two of which can play different positions in different game systems. The choices are a bit limited but we’re taking the youths with us. We’re trying.


How do you explain the club not winning at the Vélodrome for 40 years (Marseille 3-5 ASSE in 1979)?

There are sometimes teams that don’t turn out well for you. But, there’s always an exception to the rule, And, luckily in this job you can always hope. Some time ago, the Vélodrome was difficult, even for OM’s players. And, when I went there with Paris, it was hell. You have to keep a level head, know how to play this type of match and defend well while remaining concentrated.

The memory of the first match there this season (2-1) is still very fresh.

That’s the paradox of this calendar. In regards of the last match, the Marseillais found hope once again. They’re hopeful again. Like last season, by finishing the season with good results, they can fight for 3rd place.


Rémy Cabella will certainly want to win this match against his former club…

He doesn’t have to play the match by himself. He must play for the team and play a good match with the team. We always have the desire to prove something. But we must work as a team.


Have Kévin Monnet-Paquet’s and Gabriel Silva’s serious injuries affected the team?

In Dijon, that strongly increased our strength. The T-shirt made for Kévin made them think strongly about him. When they saw Gabriel injure himself (he raises his eyes)… They understood. There wasn’t any contact and he was on the ground. I hope that there will be even more solidarity. We have to keep them in our thoughts. They were with us for seven months. Now, we must unfortunately finish the season without them.

What are you doing to allow your team to adapt to these twists of fate?

We lack time. Time, training sessions and thus instincts. Every week, we change up the team. In the middle, in the front and often in the back. We need intelligent players in order to innovate or invent. We would prefer to be prepared, to work with a typical team. That’s not the case. Several unfavourable situations led us to make changes. Against Dijon, some have been picky. But, these are difficult matches to play.


Will Sunday’s match feel like a match for the European cup?

Yes, but next week; OM will play Nice on their home turf, then will go to Paris. We’ll play Lille on our home turf… That always feels like such a match. No match is easy. We have to remain concentrated on that. Let’s try to secure 4th place. Then, if we have the possibility to be higher in the ranking, we’ll have a bit more ambition. Today, we have 43 points with 12 matches to play before the end. Major situations were unfavourable for us. Many, I find. Let’s try to finish well despite all the accidents we’ve had.

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Ensemble, faisons de notre club une source d'engagement, à domicile et à l'extérieur,
car un club de football engagé est un club plus fort !

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