Suffering, you were unable to take a place on the bench for the last match against Ajaccio. How did you experience this evening?
It was very special because I didn't get to see the match at all. Only the next morning. I was very feverish, dripping because I was very dehydrated and, as the light gave me a headache, I couldn't even look at a screen. As I was in the players' room, at the training center next door, I understood that a goal had been scored, because I recognized the music, but afterwards, it was more complicated. I only found out the result at the end, when someone came to tell me. To sum up, a dirty evening but a great evening.
This success, against a direct competitor, is very important and allows you to spend the holidays seven points ahead of the danger zone.
We see that it is a very competitive championship and the idea was to reach the 20 point mark, or even exceed it. This is what we did since we have 22 after these first sixteen days. This first semester, I have the feeling that it can be compared to a roller coaster. A very good start, then this series of five matches which did us a lot of harm physically, financially but also mentally. Behind we managed to continue with a point against Paris FC, three against Red Star. We got knocked out of the Cup, a big disappointment, then we lost again in Rodez… So we absolutely had to finish the year with three points and we did it. Even if our match wasn't necessarily brilliant, that's the main thing.
Since the start of the season, you have often spoken about this symbolic bar of 20 points. Do you think this is half the battle for maintenance?
It's something we've had in our heads since the start of the season. Tell yourself that, if after the 16th day we were at 20 points or more, we would be in the progress table. We passed the 20 mark in the first half, the idea is to pass the 40 mark in the second, but we shouldn't be obsessed with that either.
Before that, time to rest for this winter break. Do you feel like your group needed it?
We wanted the players to have at least seven days of rest. If we had played in the Cup, we would have left later and we would have resumed on December 29. As we are eliminated, the players have been on vacation since Tuesday noon and the resumption is scheduled for Friday December 27 at 3 p.m. It's important for everyone to have this recovery window, because bodies need it, and minds do too.
This first part of the season has indeed not been a smooth ride. What do you remember most from these first months?
Two things were impactful in my opinion. The first is our ability to be more solid defensively when we lead. We had quite a few clean sheets, especially at the Nouste Camp and that was something we couldn't do the previous season. That's the glass half full. The glass is half empty, we still lack efficiency in front of goal. We must have the ability to take cover in important moments of matches. This was also glaring against Ajaccio. This is a real area for improvement.
Your attackers sometimes seem to lack confidence.
Of course the mental aspect is essential. But the players who were lined up or who came on during the match, they had playing time and that must bear fruit. At some point, when you're a player, you have to stop making excuses. We are in the professional world, this requires efficiency and the higher we go, the more important this requirement is. Afterwards, from the moment we have a squad with young players, we know that we perhaps need a little more time. The idea is that these players let themselves go completely and can be effective in the second half of the season. And I'm not mentioning names because, no matter which players are lined up, I want the team to win.
It is essential to be frank with the players and this has been done. Some players must therefore find a way out
When it comes to defense, finishing the year with a clean sheet should satisfy you.
This is what we could be criticized for in previous months so, yes, I am satisfied. We have a goalkeeper captain who was able to be effective in matches, a defense which was able to defend a little lower while remaining more compact in other matches. The results of this first half are satisfactory at this level.
Does the Pau FC coach need to make adjustments to his squad this winter for the team to take a step forward?
When we talk about retouching, we often talk about finishes. However, if we want to make adjustments, it is mainly to harmonize the workforce. I take the example of the left-back position, there are a lot of players who can play in this position and there is therefore an imbalance in relation to that. We must be clear and transparent with players who are lacking playing time by telling them that they will have this playing time elsewhere. It is essential to be frank with the players and this has been done. Some players must therefore find a way out. This will, in return, allow us to integrate new ones to balance the workforce in relation to our needs.
Are the unwanted players always the same (Editor's note, Boto, Evan's, Chahiri)?
I don't like that word undesirable… These are players who are looking for playing time and we realize that, depending on the positions, there is a bottleneck. We were clear with them this summer, we are also clear now. That said, it is not because these players were forced to leave last summer that they did not have the opportunity to play. They had shooting windows, more or less important, but we made sure not to mix the sporting aspect, the human aspect and the support of these players. They are part of this group and I had the same consideration for them if afterwards, sportingly, there are choices that are made and these choices are me who make them. However, they did not give up. They are just victims of high-level competition.
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