Before the Annecy reception, Friday November 8 at 8 p.m., the Ruthenian midfielder spoke about the recent development of his team, undefeated for five matches but still threatened in the rankings.
How do you analyze the three-match week that you have just experienced, with draws against Lorient (3-3), Bastia (2-2) and Paris FC (3-3)?
We had a big week, we managed these close matches well. Against well-ranked teams, we managed to produce some play and score quite a few goals. We are happy with the week but we would also have liked to win certain matches to move up the rankings. In any case, the confidence is there, we are playing better and better.
In one week, we saw you compete with the best teams in the championship but also concede a lot of goals. What does this series say about you?
Some goals we have made have come as a result of small mistakes, which we can correct. We produce games so we inevitably expose ourselves. It's up to us to manage well to concede fewer goals.
Was the match against Paris FC your best performance of the season in terms of play?
I don't know if that's the case but it's true that we were very good when we had the ball. But you have to be able to maintain consistency throughout the match. It is on this aspect that we have progress to make. If we can be consistent over 90 minutes, we will have a lot of good results. I have the feeling that it will pass.
Personally, you arrived in Rodez at the end of August. How do you feel in this team?
Since I have been here, I have progressed. I adapted very quickly because the people are superb. On the pitch, I try to give the best of myself. As I am in midfield, I have to be able to help my teammates with my positioning and with my voice. I try to do that as best I can.
You also have a leadership role…
It's a bit in my nature, whether I have the armband or not. I need that to be good, to share, to communicate well on the pitch, because you can't be good alone.
When you meet on the ground, we see that you often speak. Was this a role that you were given or did you take it spontaneously?
Everyone wants to contribute what they can and there are people who communicate more than others. For my part, I do it quite naturally. We have a young group, even if I'm not a veteran, I'm a little older than most of my partners (26 ans) and I try to bring my experience. There are others who speak out, even young people. We are a united, close-knit group.
You wore the armband in your fourth match with Raf, it's a situation that doesn't happen very often.
I thank the coach for trusting me. I think this means that when I arrived, I immediately put myself at the service of the collective. I try to build on everyone's strengths to be better. I always want to win and I know I can't do it alone. So I try to lift everyone up.
Since your arrival, in what areas has the team progressed the most?
Already, at the collective level. We created a group very quickly, which means that we don't give up until the end, that we give everything for the club. Then, we gain a little consistency, we have fewer air holes, we manage the scores a little better.
Is the main area of progress now to gain strength?
There are many areas for progress, for all teams. We would like to concede fewer goals, but I think we can resolve that quickly. We also have to insist on our game, we are scoring more and more, it is not trivial.
Is it easy to adapt to the offensive game advocated by Didier Santini and accept the consequences of the risk-taking that this implies?
In Ligue 2, a footballer must be able to adapt to several types of play, just as he must adapt to several match scenarios and several ways of playing from the opponent.
You are on an unbeaten streak of five matches but you have fallen back in the standings after successive draws. How does this influence the way we approach the match against Annecy?
We know that we are on a good path. Like every match, we will do everything to win. But we don't have any more pressure than at the start of the season, when we were at the bottom of the rankings. We want to win every match and we know what we have to do.
