“After the defeat against Lyon, you said that we should choose the mentally strongest players in the last two days. What does this mean? Can you clarify your point?
It is a normal thing. we are approaching the final sprint. We are in a period that is not stable, where we have lost too many points. It is not only a quality selection, but we have to select the strongest players in these circumstances. It is very interesting to see the reactions of the players, to see them ready for war, to take these three points (against Rennes).
How does this translate to training? Do you feel that the players are mobilized, aware of the risk of losing everything?
There is indeed this possibility of losing everything, but also the possibility of gaining everything. We still have our destiny in our hands, but it is clear that there can be no more excuses. We are still three points ahead of Rennes. We owe it to ourselves to be present in Rennes and play a fantastic match there, to perform well in all sectors, in all duels, both defensively and offensively. We will have to be concentrated, engaged with intensity.
Recent away performances against the big teams in Lens (3-0 defeat) or Lyon (3-1 defeat) have not been decisive. What makes it possible to confirm that it will not be the case in Rennes?
In the match against Lyon we had a good first half. We could have scored the 2-0 goal and the match would have been very different. We must now be able to press more, as we do in training. We can say many things, the most important thing is what we want to do on Rennes’ pitch. I saw this week that the players are aware of the effort.
Can you imagine next season without European competition? This is a hypothesis that seems plausible today.
We can imagine all possible scenarios, it’s up to us to take matters into our own hands. If we only think about the negative scenario, this will happen. It is up to us to prove that we deserve to play in Europe. Competing in a European Cup is very important for the club, especially for all those who have worked hard. Not so long ago we were aiming for the Champions League, but we had to change our aim. If the Europa League conference interests us? Mourinho won this competition with AS Roma and he is very proud of it. Now the goal is to finish the championship as strong as possible, take all the points and hold on to fourth place. »
