At the end of the defeat conceded by Saint-Étienne in Dijon, Saturday afternoon, on the occasion of the opening match of the 1st day of Ligue 2, Laurent Batlles, the coach of ASSE, expressed his disappointment.
“I think everyone has seen it: there is a first period that was completely missed at all levelsregretted the coach of the Greens. In terms of duels, desire, races… It could have been much more dangerous for us, we could have conceded more goals. »
A first missed act that did not please Laurent Batlles at all, who nevertheless retains a little positive about the second period: “When we put more intensity or we bring in players who want to run and play, it’s still better. We went to the limit but we had to try something in the second half. That’s what we did. But we weren’t consistent enough in the game to put Dijon in difficulty. »
Batlles regrets an intensity and a lack of desire
Difficulties attributable to the 3-5-2 system for which the new strongman of ASSE has opted? “We know that to play in this system you have to have the ball and technical mastery. We lost too many balls and too many duels. From then on, it’s complicated to be able to set up this system. We assume the risks taken but we must be better at losing the ball and in pressing. We weren’t good at that. »
Despite this, Laurent Batlles remains optimistic for this new season: “We are not going to question everything either. The transfer window is long, there will be arrivals and departures. We must work in serenity. We are building something, it is not easy. You have to have the players to be able to play in this system. We need to strengthen the team. »
Next meeting for ASSE: the second day of Ligue 2 and the reception of Nîmes, Saturday August 6, at 3 p.m., at the Geoffroy-Guichard stadium.
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