Claude Puel : "We gave it our all"

How do you explain this defeat?

We had a very good beginning to the match. We put good pressure on our opponent while playing with desire to win and quality. We moved our opponent and we deserved to have made a comeback. In the second period, we started again by playing with intensity. Then, fatigue did its work on both sides. We had difficulty beginning the match, but we gave it everything we had. We tried until the very end. Unfortunately, we had no gas left in the tank at the end of the match.

You let in two goals from the only two shots on target from Marseille…

It’s a difficult period. Actually, this evening (Wednesday), like last Sunday in Metz, we conceded very few openings, but we pay dearly due to the shots made by our opponents. Marseille did not make many openings for themselves, two were sufficient. We wanted to play a great match despite the fatigue and all the injuries that we’ve had these last few weeks. Moreover, we played a great match against the second-placed team in the championship. I hope that my players will soon be rewarded. Overall, they’re mentally present. We can sometimes waste energy, but we can’t reproach my team for not having fought.

Does your rank of 15th place worry you?

We’re paying attention to the teams ranked lower than us. We’re playing many consecutive matches since the beginning of the season while Marseille did not play for the Coupe d’Europe and complains about the accumulation of matches. Now, we have a very important match against Montpellier to prepare for. We will see who will be available because Wahbi (Khazri) and Yohan (Cabaye) seemed to have injuries. In any case, we will fight.