“Does your current good series encourage optimism in view of the maintenance which is your objective?
January was a pretty good month in terms of results and match content too. Even if in Strasbourg (2-1, Sunday), the content was less good, the state of mind was exemplary. Now we have to get to February to improve on what we did in January. We start with this match once morest Troyes (Wednesday), which is going to be very important because our victory in Strasbourg will only have meaning if we manage to string together a victory at home. Maybe it will be a key game in our season.
Can it also have a psychological importance to allow you to switch to the right side of the ranking?
We might take a step. It won’t be final because there will still be a lot of matches left, but if we managed to win, we would take a good step towards our first objective of being sure of staying in Ligue 1.
How do you intend to manage your workforce in the heart of the current match sequence?
I usually put the best performing team according to the latest results, the form of the moment and the opponent. As luck would have it, we have a workforce that has no injuries, we will see as we go along. In a period with four matches, it is essential to have a consistent and ready squad.
“This improvement in the workforce will perhaps allow us to try to go as far as possible in the Coupe de France and of course to play in the Championship at a better level. »
How can your good career in the Coupe de France and your significant recruitment this winter help you for the rest of the season in the Championship?
The more quality players we have, even if we shouldn’t have too many, the better off we are. We can clearly see since January that each time the substitutes are impactful, both in terms of state of mind and efficiency. This improvement in the workforce will perhaps allow us to try to go as far as possible in the Coupe de France and of course to play in the Championship at a better level.
Did you feel a progression in your players, especially during the tense end of the match in Strasbourg?
They have matured. I was talking regarding it with an educator from the club this morning. When we see our matches from the start of the season, especially those of Anthony (Roault) and de Rasmus (Nicolaisen), these are two players who did not know Ligue 1. These last six months have improved them. That may have helped us in Strasbourg. We conceded a goal but no one demobilized, we stayed the course. I felt the team was extremely solid and calm. We have six months of common experience in Ligue 1.
Are you looking higher in the rankings now?
It will depend on our direct opponents. I think we might take a good step. But if we crossed two or three more, it would lead us on the right path. »