The internship at Evian
“We work seriously and with intensity. We are practically four weeks away from preparation. The players were very rigorous and involved. They are tired but it makes sense. It would be abnormal if it were the opposite. We did group work for two weeks. There is still an athletic dimension. We are on the management of playing time so that everyone is equal before the break next week … The players have become accustomed to sanitary measures. The staff is there to call to order. Everything seems to be going well. We saw a lot of enthusiasm from the players at the start. There is a very good atmosphere. It’s nice. “
The start of the friendly matches campaign
“Port Valais is an amateur team. Players must be serious, thoughtful and involved. They have to give everything. Memphis and Jeff are physically good. They will miss the benchmarks with their teammates. I hope they will be able to play the whole game tonight. We must manage to give them playing time in their legs. Maxwel Cornet will play from the left side. There is a mental dimension during this internship. They must understand that we must be solid and united to approach this end of the season. We have dated objectives, it’s easier. We’re going to start the first of six friendlies. We see if we can find a double confrontation against a Belgian team before returning to the official competition. We had a lot of trouble finding opponents because they are very few not to play the championship. The French clubs told us that they were preparing for August 22 and that we were too advanced. Only the Scots and the Belgians remained. We have a trophy to win and cleaver matches directly. “
Resumption of competition
“We want to go get something together. I reminded them to win these two games. Do not put yourself under too much pressure. We found the right balance. We lost Lucas Tousart. We could not arrange for him to end the season with us. It is a regret. We would have preferred to have it. The others will replace him. I’m not worried about that … President Aulas was one of the few to be right about the end of the championship. We see it elsewhere. UEFA is right about the opening of the transfer window. It is consistent and common sense. When you have to make decisions, you have to weigh the pros and cons. We couldn’t do it in France. “
Point market
“It’s good for Amine Gouiri to go and get some playing time. I like the player and the man. I was sorry not to be able to give him more playing time. There are people at his post. The goal was to allow him to progress elsewhere. It’s complicated when you’re young. It’s the best thing for him. I wish him to play … We want to recruit a central defender, even if Diomandé is a prospective player. We hope it will be a pleasant surprise. We have three confirmed players in this position and it’s too little for a full season. This is the priority. Lots of names have come out. We would also like to gain leadership. We can also take a young player to make him progress. We will see the opportunities on the market. I want Martin Terrier to stay. It has great quality. There may be a start in the offensive sector. Moussa Dembélé and Houssem Aouar are also there. The closer we get to the competition, the more difficult it will be to separate from them. “
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