Bordeaux – Stade Rennais / Sampaoli: “We need players ready to play”

Bordeaux – Stade Rennais / Sampaoli: “We need players ready to play”

Before a trip to Bordeaux on Sunday, Jorge Sampaoli came to a press conference.

Trap match: This is often a situation where surprises happen. Because the date, and because the players can think of themselves already on vacation. For us, it's a very important match, we are motivated. A very important competition begins for the club.

Guardian : It’s a possibility (to change goalkeeper). The cup allows us to give minutes to the second goalkeeper.

French Cup: We know that with the bad start to the championship, the players will have the opportunity to be competitive in the French Cup. We have to say to ourselves that this is an opportunity, the players must be aware of the city and the club in which they are. We want to fight for this cup, and bring joy to the public.

Rotations : We have to consolidate a base, I don't think we need to make a lot of rotations. The situation is not suitable for this, we are still in a difficult situation. I have the obligation to generate a style of play, by creating affinities between the players.

Bordeaux : I expect a tough, delicate, intense match. We are a team with away difficulties. Bordeaux has a great tradition, with many supporters. This team plays a lot on the flanks. We must be up to the task to qualify and take the initiative in the game.

Needs for the transfer window: We met with the president and the technical director to see if we can attract an offensive player who will give us solutions up front. We also look in the middle. But the January market is complicated. It is difficult to get the best players out of their clubs, and the others arrive without rhythm. We are realistic. We need players ready to play, with pace. We are in a hurry, I need players ready for January, not for the long term.

Relations with Pouille and Massara: I am in contact with them every day. I explain to them what type of players I need. I have to develop a style of play. We may be able to make adjustments depending on the situation. But the winter transfer window is difficult. It seems difficult to me that a player who stands out in another club comes to us, but I hope so. I hope for players who can help us improve in the offensive area. We are going to have a very difficult month of January. I hope we will choose good players that will allow us to improve the team.

Group confidence: I think they can find some if we play better. This is how they will have fun. If our game evolves, I think the players will free themselves. We have a different, positional game with a lot of passing volume. We have made progress on our ability to annihilate transitions. Angers SCO is for me the best team in Ligue 1 in transition and they had no situations. But we have to improve offensively.

Disappointment in player performance: We are talking about adaptation to a form of game. Players have the ability to adapt to our way of playing. These players were chosen in another context. Some adapt easily, others less so, and others are unable to adhere to this way of playing. The pressure is great in football, and this is what makes some players not enjoy playing. We want to win through the game. We want a profile of courageous players, who love the game.