The Lyon coach Pierre Sage appeared in front of the media this Friday afternoon before the 19th day match of Ligue 1 to come Sunday against FC Nantes.
What is your opinion on FC Nantes?
“Today, the championship is so tight and the matches are so complicated that, since the start of the season, we have only controlled one or two games from start to finish. When you observe a match, you have to learn, but always with nuance. »»
How do you get the match against Fenerbahçe cold?
“When we analyze the match or certain sequences, there are always tactical points to be raised. Regarding the state of mind, I am rather satisfied with the performance, even if I think we would have deserved to win. Subjectively, I would say that we are 60 %. Yesterday’s match is a bit like that against Lens, except in Lens, we might deserve even more to win. These are progress that shows that the team is better. Going better is good, but the goal is to go well. To do this, you must continue to be solid and capable of scoring. We find it difficult to create frank opportunities as before. Perhaps we will have more opportunities in the face of teams that leave more spaces.
How to improve the game of the team that tends to player behind?
“This is a fair observation. When the team is in trouble, the priority of players is not to lose the ball. However, beyond that, you have to attack the opponent. Our last two results show that we were not yet ready to do so. We approach all the matches with the same mentality. If we keep this state of mind, this will, and our game moves into the heads and legs of the players, we will reach better conclusions.
Even more dynamism in the last third of the field: I want more combined actions. We are in a positive dynamic, but there is still a good margin of progression. We are satisfied with what we have achieved, but we know that there is still work. »»
Are your players still behind you?
-“We quickly turned to Nantes. We have a professional relationship with the players. We block together. I am not surprised, but I want to thank them. »»
A word on the injury of Malick Fofana and the case Ernest Nuamah
“Malick is a ball player who likes to take depth. It is true that we will have a little fewer races in these spaces. Malick Fofana was walking better today than yesterday evening. We will see after the session. No other player is unavailable. Ernest Nuamah will be able to play more. We will also benefit from other returns and other possibilities. He was not able to play more than a quarter of an hour because he was sick the previous week. »»
What do you think of the reunion with Anthony Lopes?
“It will necessarily do something. I always wish him the best … except for 95 minutes! I hope he will have a good match, but not too much. »»
Is Alexandre Lacazette still an essential element?
“It is obvious that we are performing when it is too. But if he is efficient, it is also thanks to his teammates. He weighed a lot on our second part of the season last year. He concludes the team’s collective work. It must always be considered a whole. He surely made us win matches that we would not have won without him. »»
Swiss
