By scoring the first goal of Montpellier’s victory in Reims 10 days ago (3-0), Faustine Robert showed the way to her team in a turning point in the championship. On the occasion of the international break, the 29-year-old Sétoise took the time to talk about this success, her team’s season and her expectations for the future.
We imagine that the victory in Reims felt good. How do you analyze it?
Of course she did good! (smile) It was already important to react following our poor performance against Dijon. We had to bounce back quickly; We did it, that’s good, but we shouldn’t say to ourselves either “That’s it, that’s it, we’re off again” because we often tend to fall behind good performances. It’s important to keep our heads on our shoulders to approach the Bordeaux match very seriously, because it will also be a very important match. The Bordelaises bothered us in the first leg (1-1), so we know it won’t be easy.
Was there a feeling of revenge after the defeat in Dijon?
Yes, of course, because this defeat in Dijon was very hard to take. We really didn’t measure up. We showed a very bad image of ourselves that day.
The previous two seasons we were very successful away and had more difficulties at home. This year it’s the complete opposite.
The victory in Reims constitutes your 2nd away success since the start of the return matches, already more than in the entire first leg. What changed ?
Nothing has changed I will say. It’s still a journey, it’s always complicated but I don’t know if everything in life is really explainable. The previous two seasons we were very successful away and had more difficulties at home. This year, it’s completely the opposite: We are strong at home and we struggle a lot away. We could talk about the journeys, the fatigue, but it was the same in previous years so…
Can this victory in Reims serve as a trigger?
I hope that will be the trigger but I prefer not to say that too much to myself either… (long silence). I already believed in this trigger against Lyon in the championship where we had a great match and where we were not far from achieving the feat, and behind that we lost inexplicably in Dijon. When we think about the difference in level that our team displays between the two matches, it’s scary… After that match, we almost all asked ourselves the same question: How can we perform like that?
To return to victory in Reims, you opened the scoring with a superb free kick. Tell us about it…
With ”Toto” (Marion Torrent, Editor’s note), we practice set pieces every week but we particularly insisted on it that week. On the day of the match, Toto (who is also someone who takes free kicks very well) asked me if I felt like trying it. I told her yes, but if she felt the same way, there was no reason for her not to shoot. Finally, she let me hit him but I jokingly told her I wasn’t sure if I would score him. When she went to stand in the wall, she asked me where I wanted her to stand to disrupt the opponent. At first I wanted to wrap it over the wall. I changed my mind when I saw the positioning of the goalkeeper and it worked for me.
Are direct free kicks an exercise that you like?
Not necessarily, but my last goal in this exercise dates back not so long ago, last season against Rodez it seems to me. I’m not necessarily focused on it, even though I train there quite regularly. I could very well have scored the one at Guingamp but Léa Khelifi tried it and she scored a great goal. This time it worked for me and that’s good for the team. With Léa, Toto, but also Océane (Deslandes), there are several of us who can succeed in this exercise. I hope this will be the case on other occasions between now and the end of the season.
I’m someone who doesn’t want to think about that (my personal statistics) because I want to stay focused on the group.
Is the victory in Reims (the first by 3 goals this season) the benchmark match you were waiting for?
Maybe, but we should have ”killed” the match before by converting opportunities that were paradoxically clearer than those which led to our 2nd and 3rd goals. This is where we need to improve. Yes, we were waiting for this match because we wanted a reaction and to show ourselves that Dijon was a mistake. This match in Reims was also a direct confrontation in the race for the playoffs. Personally, I was aware that it was a final and that, if we lost or even if we drew, it would almost be equivalent to a defeat and that it would be difficult for us to get 4th place. For all these reasons, it was a very important match, but now we have to confirm.
Personally, you are having a very interesting season in terms of stats, notably being the team’s top scorer. How do you experience it, you who are not a number 9?
I’m someone who doesn’t want to think about that because I want to stay focused on the group. Today, it smiles on me and good for me but especially for what it brings to the collective. Above all, I am happy for that, even if it always feels good to score. However, I don’t just stop there (on the statistics). Above all, I try to improve and perform well. We’ve talked a lot with the coach recently so that I can try to improve on certain points because I want to continue to progress. In summary, I am happy for the group, for me, but also to make my family proud.
Every match is going to be a final
There are 3 weeks without a match between Reims and your next meeting at the Bordeaux reception, on March 2…
It’s very long… very hard on the mind too because, when you train, you work with a match in mind at the weekend which is a form of reward. We work for that, in quotes, and when you know that you don’t play on the weekend, it’s not easy… Now, we take the opportunity to continue working, to improve in all areas. We are not going to say which ones in particular so as not to give information to our future adversaries (smile)
How do you see the rest of the season?
Each match will be a final and any result other than a victory will take us away from this 4th qualifying place for the playoffs. There have been a lot of surprises in this championship since the start of the season, and we are not safe from anything, in a good or bad way. We’ll have to get the 3 points every weekend to move forward and we’ll do the math at the end.
We must “kill” the matches and not let our opponent hope
Next step, the reception of Bordeaux which had held us in check on the first leg (1-1). It will be next March 2 in Grammont…
I’m not someone who will focus on the opponent. Everyone has their worries, their absences and we ourselves, sometimes, get a little lost in our performances. Even if it is in difficulty in the ranking and is very young, this Bordeaux team has potential and will seek points to maintain its position. She will come and try to annoy us and sting at the right time. It’s up to us to be vigilant and do what is necessary to take the 3 points for victory.
Were you surprised by this young Bordeaux team on the way out?
Yes. We started the match very well it seems to me, then we started to get pushed around, they pressed us and we woke up suddenly, always with this waste in the last gesture because we had all the same provided opportunities. The coach repeated it to us but we have to work on this good choice, this last pass or this shot which will send the ball into the back of the net. We have to “kill” the matches and not give our opponent hope by hurting them from the start. We must not think about our opponent but about ourselves because we need these 3 points.
2024-02-20 13:04:13
#Faustine #Robert #confirm
