At the end of the ASSE-Montpellier match, played as part of the 12th day of Ligue 1, the two coaches spoke at the microphone of DAZN. Olivier Dall'Oglio and Jean-Louis Gasset gave their reactions on the performance of their respective teams.
Jean-Louis Gasset (Montpellier Coach): “In such a crucial match, when you have the first chances, you have to open the score to make the opponent doubt. We didn't do it. We went into halftime 0-0, which was very frustrating for us, because we had two or three good situations. Between VAR, penalty or no penalty, it does not work in our favor. Then, at the start of the second half, we made a youthful mistake which cost us a goal. Afterwards, we pushed, took risks, but we did not succeed in making it happen.
It's especially on the nervous level that it becomes complicated. When we look at the number of yellow cards we have taken, particularly for protest, it is revealing. The players are having a hard time with the current situation, they are on edge. I tried to tell them: “Here we are, we’re making a decision, it’s against us, but we’re going to continue.” But when it's always against us, when we review the actions five, six, ten times, it's hard to take. It's a complicated time.
The boxes? Of course, this poses a problem, because we are going to have suspended players. We have a limited squad, with important players injured. Today, we played young people like Chotard, who couldn't last 90 minutes. Their playing time must be managed carefully to avoid relapses.
Many things need to change. For what ? Because I've only been here a month. Tonight I saw my team play. Looking at the content, I tell myself that we can do it. But there are still 22 games left, so there is no question of giving up. We will continue to work, because the team is progressing, the players are better physically, and I find them more invested. Now, we will have to face teams stronger than us, like Brest, and use the same ingredients to get points.”
Olivier Dall'Oglio (Entraîneur de l'ASSE) : “It's not easy, especially for coaches, during tense, high-stakes matches like this. In any case, as we saw, there was a lot of tension, even among the players. was a match that we absolutely should not lose with the public behind us, they once again supported us well. It seemed like the match never ended, that's what it was.
Not everything always works out the way we want it to. We try to give instructions, but it especially works for those who are closest. As soon as the distance exceeds 25 meters, it is more complicated. But if I can ever get one or two interesting instructions across, that's always a win. We know that everything depends on the details.
To talk about Benjamin (editor's note: Bouchouari), I think he's a boy who became aware of certain things this summer. First he learned to defend better, then he developed his ability to score. We had to convince him that he would surely have chances and that he had to be more decisive in front of goal. He's a midfielder who works a lot, but at one point, as we see in the images, he finds himself in front of goal and he takes his chance. In the end, we are all happy, within the staff, because we make them all work on this aspect of the game, in front of goal, and we know that it is not only the attackers who score for us.
His association with Mouton? For now, things are going well. The two get along quite well. Louis works a lot, perhaps a little less today, but he is a shadow worker. These are two boys who play as midfielders, who work hard and compensate for each other. It's interesting. I also have two players who are pushing behind and who are less expected, and for my taste, they are interesting, especially when they come on in the second half.
Abdelhamid's gesture on Savanier? Yes, of course, it's a real attacker's move. That's why I was already very, very surprised when I saw the direction of the ball and the attacking gestures. It was a gesture that we can appreciate. Afterwards, the referee corrected it with the VAR, so there is no problem. But to come back to Younis, you know, it's not easy. He hasn't succeeded in everything so far, but there he had two or three interventions which were masterful behind him.
He is a boy who is one of the leaders of the team. Even when he is not a starter, he is one of those who lifts others up. It’s important to have a boy of this quality with us.”
