At the end of the meeting between ASSE and Reims (3-1), Luka Elsner (Reims) and Eirik Horneland (ASSE) spoke to DAZN to share their impressions following the magnificent victory of the Greens!
Luka Elsner (Reims Coach): “I am not surprised by ASSE, but rather by ourselves, by what we were able – or incapable – of putting in place. The intensity, the reactivity in the duels, the positioning… We were systematically too far from the opponent Our goal gave an illusion, but it came after a long period of turbulence where we were lucky. Finally, football put things back in their place, and we logically suffered a heavy defeat. .
We had to experiment and tinker on defense. Thibaut is not at his position at all, he has never been a central defender. Playing higher requires a different reading of spaces, and collectively, we failed. We left too many opportunities for the Stéphanois to develop their game and exploit depth. The time it took us to make contact was a major problem. In the second half, the goals we conceded were disconcertingly easy and extremely worrying.”
Elsner: “Today our defense was way too wide and open”
“We absolutely must become aware of the negative spiral we are in. And above all, understand what ingredients will allow us to get out of it. Today, these ingredients were absent. Yes, we are having difficulty building our starting lineup, last minute surprises, and Amadou Koné's injury didn't help matters.
But despite everything, we must at least rely on fundamentals: combat, winning duels, defensive solidity. We have not even been reassuring on these aspects. We ended the year in Ligue 1 with two clean sheets, and today our defense was far too wide and open. We must really realize that the future promises to be difficult, and that a reaction is necessary as a question of survival.
Having more choice is crucial. The return of Joseph Okumu, who could play 15-20 minutes, is a positive element. It will be important for the weeks to come. But beyond that, we have a reduced squad and a bench mainly made up of young players. Asking them to take responsibility for getting us out of this situation would be too heavy a burden.
We will see during the week who will respond and who will be ready to fight, not only for themselves, but also for others. Because no one will be able to escape this situation. It is becoming alarming, and it is imperative to sound the alarm. We need collective awareness: what we have shown today is very worrying, and we absolutely must react.”
Eirik Horneland (ASSE): “It will be even better when the whole stadium is full”
Eirik Horneland (ASSE coach): “It's a wonderful feeling, especially when you're down 1-0. In our situation it's always difficult, but to come back in the second half and win is an incredible feeling. The match was experienced complicated moments and others more controlled, but we are very happy with this result.
I really felt the response from my players. We had already seen it in training, and they confirmed it on the pitch. We were able to create many situations for ourselves during the meeting.
Geoffroy-Guichard? It will be even better when the whole stadium is full. I want to see passion in my players, an intense, aggressive team, who enter the field with boundless energy. I can speak Norwegian, of course, but I will also try to learn some French. After all, football is a universal language.”
