Commitment to the project
« It's an important victory, and we need to focus on the players who are committed to what we want to achieve. We have balance. The players have been rewarded for their efforts; they adapted very quickly to the different systems. »
The progress
« I don't think there's a famous ‘new coach’ effect. We arrived with clear ideas, driven by the desire to dominate our opponents in the space available to us. We have to pay tribute to the players in these two games. If there has been a metamorphosis, it's also in the state of mind. The team is progressing. »
Controlling time
« Saint-Étienne is a fine team, especially technically. I asked the squad to defend the centre of the pitch and not to open up any gaps. I told them at half-time that they also needed to get to grips with the weaker parts of the game, to have periods of possession to boost their confidence. »
The importance of having intentions
« I once met a great coach, Jürgen Klopp, who told me that you have to infuse the players. I spend all my time talking to my players: giving them feedback, a hug, advice... When you give them confidence, they give it back to you. I told the players in the team talk that I wouldn't accept them having no intentions, and they understood that message and it's materialised on the pitch. »
The identity
« The club's identity is well known, and when I see Adrien Truffert's game tonight, as captain, that's what we have to be as a team. It's good to see players trained at the club. For me, it's a question of meritocracy, not status. We're not going to deprive ourselves of players who represent the Rennes identity, we have to get back to that balance. »
Djaoui Cissé
« The club's coaches had identified Djaoui Cissé. He's a player who knows his way around the pitch, who can do a lot of things, and we need to keep him that way. Djaoui will continue to progress, I've seen him talking to Seko Fofana and he'll continue to grow, and we'll support him in that. »
Jérémy Jacquet
« We're not surprised because we know him. The reality is that Jérémy is being watched, and you get the impression that he had 20 games in common with his team-mates on the night. We mustn't get carried away, we have to be ambitious. My pleasure is to see the boys enjoying themselves. It's important to let them be creative. This victory belongs to the players. »
