Julien Stéphan: "It's all about confidence and mental strength

Group news
"Benjamin Bourigeaud (ankle), Lorenz Assignon and Nemanja Matić (muscle pain) are out. Mohamed Jaouab is also feeling some muscle pain. Lorenz Assignon has a tibia-fibula problem, which is not serious but he will not be able to play on Wednesday. These players should be back after the break. We'll see how they progress, whether they'll go straight back into the squad or whether they'll need a few days of individual work. That will be determined by the medical staff during the break."

AC Milan in the play-offs
« It's a great opportunity to prepare for this match against a top team. When you get the chance to play such prestigious opponents, you can't turn it down. »


A new lever for mobilisation?
« That could be a factor. Whatever happens, the season won't end in mid-February. The decisive matches will be in March, April and May, as they are every season. It's possible that this could contribute to a very strong mobilisation for two months, but the danger is: what's going to happen afterwards if it comes to an end? You can't put everything on that. »


The trip to Clermont
« It's an opponent that hasn't done Stade Rennais any favours in recent years. It's a difficult place to go and play because they're a team that's designed to fight for survival, and they've had some good results at home, against Lille and Paris in particular. We have to be clear about the position we're in today and the values we need to get out of it. »


The difficulties of away matches

« Two goals scored away from home in the league so far this season is not good enough. We're going to have to do something about that, as we do with a lot of things. The situation is not good, it's not brilliant, there's no denying it. The diagnosis is quite clear and we have to face reality with lucidity, energy and values. We have to hang in there, keep our heads down, analyse the situation and make the decisions that need to be taken if we are to get off to a different start in the second half of the season.. »


The levers to pull
« It's been going on for several months now. We've just come out of a tunnel of matches where we've been playing and recovering. So there aren't any training sessions, it's not done on the pitch with situations and confidence-building exercises. It can only be done through discussions, speeches and video, and that's the only way it can be done at the moment. It's hard to hear, but you also have to look for all the little positive signals. We're not happy with our collective performance in Toulouse, but the fact that we didn't concede a goal - it's been nine games since that happened - after two consecutive defeats, is a small sign. It's not enough, but it needs to be said. You can see that everything is linked to confidence and mental strength, and that's the hardest thing to change. We'd like to be able to solve all the problems at once, but we have to solve them step by step. »