Désiré Doué : « Settling for a position on the pitch at my age means setting yourself limits. »

As in Nantes, it was away from home at Metz that you managed to pick up important points for the end of the season...

Whatever the results, we never give up. We managed to win at Metz, which is great. Now, we can only hope for a good end to the season if we string two wins together. At home, we wanted to do better but we missed our game against Toulouse. Against Brest, the scenario was quite exceptional but we should have done better there too. We'll be trying to do that against Lens. 

The fewer games we have left, the fewer calculations we have to make. 
We're not asking ourselves any more questions. We're going to give it our all to win.

The most difficult thing this season has been controlling the games from start to finish? 
There are set-pieces in every game. We can't say that's why we're losing points. It's up to us to improve in certain areas. We're working on that amongst ourselves, with the coach and the staff. What's certain is that we're going into these last two games with a lot of desire.

« we had a lot of fun and we're still having as much fun as ever »

With a Europa League play-off against AC Milan, a run to the semi-finals of the French Cup against PSG and a very tight league, has the season become more and more testing? 

It's been a busy season, but like the previous ones for Stade Rennais. We've had a lot of games but it hasn't been exhausting, we've had a lot of fun and we're still having as much fun as ever. We've had a very good run in the cups. In the league, we haven't had the season we wanted to have in terms of results, but the season isn't over yet. We're concentrating above all on what lies ahead. 

Did you achieve any personal goals this season? 
Settling into the team was one of my personal objectives, if I can put it that way. Playing a series of games helps you gain experience and maturity in your game. You learn a lot quicker on the pitch than on the bench, and I'm very happy about that. However, whether you're playing or not, the most important thing is to keep a very good frame of mind and continue to work hard in training. Whether you're frustrated or not, you always have to listen to the good advice you get from the coach, the staff and your mates. If you don't give up, you'll be rewarded. 

 

Is that a mindset you've had since you were a kid?
Football is more than a job for me. I see it as a passion, and it's only normal to do more, work harder and train well. You need that mentality to go far. At Rennes, we have a very good training centre, and we're instilled with values very early on: to surpass yourself, to move forward. At the Academy, we're sometimes outclassed, we're forced to get out of our comfort zone, and we quickly come up against stronger opponents. That's why we develop so well.

You scored as many goals as last season, but you also provided five more assists. Could we say that you've become a more selfless player? (Editor's note: 7 more games)
I don't know, but I played more this year. It was also my first season as a professional, so you don't necessarily have all your bearings. It's normal for the statistics to change, and I hope they improve from season to season. One of my areas for improvement was reading the game, and that's better now. I can choose to release the ball quicker or dribble wisely. It's the repetition of game situations that makes you progress. Whether it's me or others, you also have to know how to take the initiative, not always the expected ones, to create shifts and unlock situations.

« A forward has to know how to defend, how to press, how to reposition himself... »

You're capable of evolving in several positions. Would you like to settle on one in particular? 
Setting a position at my age means setting limits. I've got my bearings everywhere, in 6, 8 or 10. The most important thing is that I'm on the pitch.

An outstanding ball handler, you're also capable of some fine defensive moves...
It's not ingrained because I'm an attacking player, but in pre-training I learnt to play at a lower level. I've learnt some of the defensive aspects that are essential at top level. A striker has to know how to defend, how to press, how to position himself...

Did you and Guéla draw on each other's qualities when you were young, one's propensity to attack and the other's ability to defend?
After training or school, we always played in the garden. On holiday, we always had the ball. We had a lot of duels, we just dribbled past each other, there was no attacker or defender, I sometimes played goalkeeper... By playing against each other, we must have improved. We saw that Guéla also has great attacking qualities, which makes him a complete full-back. He's always had great technical qualities too. 

 

Right from the start, coaches have been talking about your physical maturity. Are you ready for a special programme?

We obviously work on the physical aspect with the club. It's something we do every day so we're ready when the time comes. When we leave the gym here at the training centre, we feel we've worked well with Tom' (Editor's note: Thomas Choinard, Head of Performance for the professional group).

« Eduardo and Ousmane are two examples »

To be nominated for the UNFP trophy for best young player of the season, after Rennes' Ousmane Dembélé and Eduardo Camavinga, is already quite an achievement! 
I'm very proud of that and very happy. Without mentioning it, it's a goal I set myself at the start of the season. I knew Eduardo a little bit because he was with Guéla in training. Him at Real, Ousmane at PSG, their careers are the stuff of dreams. They take part in the biggest competitions, they're in the national team, it's exceptional, they're examples.

Lens, a tough team to handle. How do you feel about them?
It's more a question of how we're going to prepare for the match. We've worked hard tactically with the coach. We analysed our last match on video, and the characteristics of Lens, as we do every time. We're preparing as well as we can to win it. They're a big team with qualities, but we're not afraid of them, we have them too. This is our last game at Roazhon Park, and the fans will be there to cheer us on. We're going to try and give them a great evening.