If the Verts have welcomed the tie against Paris Saint-Germain with a few regrets, Neven Subotic and his teammates have learned positive lessons from this encounter. The frustration of this outcome will bring a surplus of motivation to the Verts to train harder in order to rank higher in the championship.
What is your opinion of the ASSE’s performance against Paris-Saint Germain?
We played a good match. If before the encounter, you had told us that the final score would be 1-1, we would have been ecstatic. We were of course disappointed at the end of the match because we were hungry to win but we can be satisfied with the way we played. When the score was 1-0, I think that we did the right thing by trying to score a second goal. Near the end of the game, we could have been more intelligent in regards of the way in which we managed the end of the match but I’ve already experienced many disappointing situations of this type. That’s part of Football, that’s also what makes it a beautiful game and an interesting sport. A tie game against PSG isn’t a bad result. Given the physiognomy of the match you can be deceived but we’re still happy with our overall performance. It’s the type of match that is important for our progression.
After this outcome, in what state of mind will you play against Strasbourg?
We’re motivated when facing any team, we have shown that during recent games and months. This mental strength is one of our great qualities. We used the frustration of the result against PSG in order to train with more determination this week. That will help us with the match against Strasbourg.
What is your opinion of the team’s status with six matches to play before the end of the championship?
Our approach is still the same. We’ve put in a lot of effort in order to get back to our former position in the rankings but we can’t be satisfied with that. Every season is a marathon and, we advance little by little during every match. Over the course of the last few games, the team has progressed and has earned a better and better ranking. We’re determined to continue to aim for the best rankings, it’s the best way to not be surpassed by those who are behind us.
In what general state of mind is the team with the end of the season fast approaching?
We’re all concentrated on our goal, we wouldn’t have earned such great results if that wasn’t the case. The environment is very positive and, whatever everyone’s personal situation is, everyone is working towards this common goal, we say so everyday during our training sessions. The team is our priority.
Is earning a spot in the Europa League the new objective of the Verts?
It’s for the President or the coach to decide the objectives for the end of the season. So far nothing has been officially decided. As players, our goal is to earn as many points as possible to finish as high in the rankings as we can and to not concern ourselves with the results of our competitors. I would of course be very happy if we could earn a spot in the Europa League but we have to be practical and strive for the best results possible every week.
What changes would a qualification for the Europa League provoke?
We’re not yet at the point where we can start thinking about that. If we ever get there, we would have the entire summer to think on that. But, for the moment, we’re not in fifth or sixth place. We’re in ninth place, so we have to act according to our current ranking. We’re in extraordinary form but the season isn’t yet finished. We still have 6 matches to play and the first one will be against Strasbourg.
