Julien Stéphan
Group update
« The only absentee is Henrik Meister. The other players are all available. Leo Østigård resumed training this morning and will apply for a place in the squad if things go well tomorrow. It's the first time we've had almost all the profiles in the squad. I'm going to have a choice as to how I use my players, it won't be by default.»
The end of the match against Brest
« What stood out for me was the difference between the first hour and the last half-hour of the match, although the message hadn't changed at all. Before, we'd been stressing the fact that to thwart Brest, we had to be enterprising, take the ball, be ambitious with it and create movement. We didn't manage to do that for an hour. But after that it was also a question of the dynamics of the match, at the end of the game, when we were behind and our opponents gave us the ball a bit more. »
Training week
« It's a short week because we play on Friday. It's not a bad thing to be able to move on quickly. As usual, we analysed the match, asked ourselves questions and made adjustments to improve. For an hour, the match against Brest was very poor from a collective point of view, so we had to think about things.»
The opponent
« They're a team that fell badly at home (editor's note: 4-0 defeat to Lyon). They're bound to want to make up for that and bounce back. It will also depend on the momentum we bring to this match. We're going to concentrate on ourselves, on what we have to produce. That's the most important thing. »
The importance of the public
« The group will clearly need the support of the public. We'll also have to earn it through our commitment on the pitch. The public have always been there, and we have to make sure that they continue to support us in these less favourable times.»
Steve Mandanda
The match against Brest
« It was complicated for an hour. Then we had 15-20 minutes where things got a lot better. We broke free and managed to pull a goal back. That's the positive thing to take from this match, because we know that it's not easy to go to Brest and pick up points. This week, we've been trying to get a few more people in the box and to liven up the game in a different way to try and get the game going against Le Havre on Friday.»
The game system
« What I'm seeing is that we're not conceding too many chances but we're getting a goal every time. That's the most frustrating thing for me, especially as a goalkeeper. We need to be more accurate and more focused on every single ball. But it's true that, with this system, we still manage to be more solid. Now, we also saw at the end of the match that we were effective in another system. In any case, we try to give our all to everything the coach suggests.»
The will to play free
« Against Le Havre, we're going to have to be totally free, go forward and get the game going. And score quickly because we need points. Results are difficult at the moment and, for my part, I only take pleasure in results. So the priority is to win games. Confidence will come after that, and of course we'll have to improve the quality of our play. »
Fans' disappointment
« I understand the fans' frustration. When I went to see them after Brest, it was mainly to thank them because, despite the disappointment, they are there at every game. They support us and push us all the way.»
Didier Digard, Le Havre coach
« Rennes are in the same frame of mind as us, but they're not necessarily as confident as we are. We need to prepare well for this match. We've made the mistake in the past, against Lille for example, of relying on what they'd done before and not on what they're capable of doing. We need to find out what Rennes can do and what they can't do today. At the same time, we need to have the confidence to create something over there. »
Matchday 9 - Ligue 1 McDonald's
Stade Rennais F.C. / Le Havre Athletic Club
Friday 25 October 2024 - 8.45pm CET
Roazhon Park
