Coach, can you give an update on the infirmary?
We are very disappointed for Ibrahima Wadji. He did good things in his match and he will miss at least the next two matches, even if we are waiting for additional analyzes. The chain of injuries he experiences is difficult to explain. A weakness has undoubtedly developed in a muscle, it pulls on certain scars. It’s injury prone. It’s a dark year for him, there are seasons like that. We put ourselves in his place, it’s not easy but he’s a strong guy who is very mentally strong.
And what about Ibrahim Sissoko?
Ibrahim Sissoko resumed the race, with good intensity, he is on time. We’ll see where he is next week. For the others, we managed training times in a personalized way. There weren’t too many scars from this sequence of three meetings. Mathieu Cafaro, hit in the nose against Caen, will have a mask or not depending on his choice. He trained this week. He no longer has headaches and seeing how he laughs during the session, I think he’s fine (smile).
There Does the current second place change the way you view the rest of the championship?
It’s an advantage not to depend on other results, of course. We prefer this place but that doesn’t change anything in our approach, in our philosophy. We are a little more comfortable, but we put it aside. We know that we must first take care of ourselves and our three difficult matches. We must be in action.
Même quand il y aura moins d'enjeu pour notre adversaire, on restera Saint-Étienne et on voudra nous battre.
Is the match against Guingamp difficult to tackle?
Whether it’s them or us, both teams will play to win. Being two points ahead of our pursuer leaves a small margin but we must not rest on this comfort. We will try to win. We are aware that the last three matches are complicated but those before were too. In any case, even when there is less at stake for our opponent, we will remain Saint-Étienne and we will want to beat us.
What do you think of the En Avant?
It’s a playful team, in line with our last opponents. They have an offensive-oriented game plan, which seeks to score goals. There are also good players from Ligue 2 BKT, technically comfortable in this team. They are, surprisingly, more comfortable outside, despite a nice stadium and a beautiful lawn.
The enthusiasm around ASSE is in any case more and more important, like the fifth sold-out event to come!
It has a huge impact, we felt it on our last outings. Compared to the others, this is a plus. The players have taken ownership of the stadium. At one point, I felt nervous about it but the players turned this pressure into something positive. Today, Geoffroy-Guichard is their garden. How to explain this shift? We discussed it, for me it seemed obvious to recover this energy, but we are all different. For others, it brought more pressure than anything else. It’s changed, but I can’t say why. Having trained there a few times and having talked about it with the players surely has something to do with it.
