After being one of the best Brestois in Barcelona, you confirmed against Strasbourg with, as a bonus, an assist. Do you remember the previous one?
Yes, I remember that (smile). I think it was Brest – Lens, in the Coupe de France (he was playing for Lens at the time)… But I missed my shot, it wasn't intentional (Wesley Saïd had cut the trajectory of the ball).
That of Saturday for Pereira Lage, on the other hand, is particularly beautiful…
I get the ball in midfield, I delay and see Mama (Baldé) coming in. As Mathias (Pereira Lage) arrives, I look for Mama to give him a discount. I know Mathias told him to let the ball pass in Portuguese (“Deixa passar!”) – because they both speak Portuguese – so the defenders wouldn't understand. Mama made a great move to let it pass, so we'll say it's a double assist (smile).
Soumaïla is someone I like and we can never rejoice in the misfortune of others.
Your peak of form coincides with the absence of Coulibaly. Are you saying to yourself that now is the right time to show what you have to contribute?
This was already the case when Soumi was operational. It's a shame for him because he had a great start to the season. He's someone I like and we can never rejoice in the misfortune of others. But it's not because today it's no longer available that I'm going to change anything: I will always try to be as efficient as possible.
Have you already been so fulfilled since your arrival in Brest?
I think that last year already, I had good matches. But it's true that I'm good there. The sequence of meetings allows you to have more benchmarks. It’s simpler, the automation comes…
To return to the Champions League, your debut in Salzburg almost went wrong, with this own goal from the start ultimately canceled…
For my first match in the Champions League, it gave me a bit of a shock! Before Lens this season, I don't think I had ever even scored an own goal in my life. In Salzburg, I wondered what they were going to see at VAR, I didn't see what could be there. And when they signaled him offside, I relaxed a little (smile)…
Barcelona was fun, but we didn't look at them with stars in our eyes either.
More generally, by signing for Brest, it was impossible to imagine you starting at Barcelona in the Champions League a year later…
But even in my life! It was a dream. Afterwards, it's a very great team but we weren't far below either. They have a particular style of play, players who have had a fantastic career… It was fun, but we didn't watch them with stars in our eyes either. We wanted to win this match.
Personally, did you finish the match with the satisfaction of having had a good match?
No. We lost, that's all I remember. I prefer to have a match of m… and that we win!
This season, Stade Brestois scores more than last season but concedes a lot more goals too. Is defense a priority project?
We have a slightly different game than last year. Our block is a little further apart, that's why we also score more goals. And defensively, I think that against Strasbourg, we were really good. It's a work to do as you go. We will regain this solidity that we had in the past. But for me, even if we take five and score six in every match, that's fine with me: as long as we win the matches. Even if, as a defender, it always feels bad… to take so much (smile).
Two meetings await you, Lille then PSV. How much does playing every three days take a toll on your body?
It's tiring but it's not us (the central defenders) who run the most. We have to do 9 or 10 km per match, when everyone else has to be between 12 and 14. Afterwards, it's our job. We have physiotherapists, preparations, who put everything in place so that we can maintain this rhythm.
France
