Squad
Favre and Dante: “We will need Sneijder”
Arriving in Nice without a full pre-season, Wesley Sneijder hasn’t appeared on the pitch since the match between France and the Netherlands (31 August at the Stade de France, 4-0). He picked up an ankle injury ahead of the derby against Monaco, and so was unable to take part in his side’s victory (4-0), organised in a 4-4-2 that they haven’t changed since.
“It must be difficult for him to accept that, recognised Lucien Favre. It’s logical. If I was a player, I would think the same thing. It’s the complete opposite of being silly, he understands the situation even if it is difficult for him. It’s part of the job of being a manager: You can’t bypass it too much and you need to tell the truth. Physically, I think that it’s ok. You can’t expect mad runs from him, or to see him making runs in deep behind. It’s just that in this system…”
“Not in his comfort zone”
Equally asked about the topic in the press conference, Dante, gave witness to the morale of his teammate: “We talk about it together. He is a good player and people should know that he is not in his comfort zone, and that he is quite disappointed with the situation. He has character and wants it to work. In training, he is working: we can see that he wants to help us and that’s the main thing.”
Dante: “Technically one of the best”
“I am convinced that we will need him sooner or later, continued the Nice coach. And even more or less quickly, because we have an impossible series of matches after the international break.”
His captain confirmed: “We will need him. Technically, he is one of the best players I have seen.”