In his press conference at the Parc des Princes, Lucien Favre recognised his side’s difficult period, as they struggle to find the balance that is harming his side.

Coach, Nice are stuck in a bad spiral with a fourth straight defeat in Ligue 1...

It can be complicated because there is question about confidence, but it would be too easy to put it solely down to confidence. We conceded too quickly. You trail from the beginning against Paris Saint-Germain, it’s not the best thing that can happen. We didn’t put in an extraordinary performance either, you could see that. Paris were better than us, played quicker, had more movement. They were able to score on the counter by playing the game..

I am still frustrated by the first two goals, the first from a set-piece where we were taken by surprise, and the second… you can’t concede this kind of goal.

You speak about the second goal, it’s not the first time that your side has been caught out like this.

Yes, it’s true. This evening, from the bench, you can’t see all of the elements, so it’s difficult to say, but in general terms, you need to analyse what the man who passes has done. Is he pressured? If yes, we can play higher up. If it isn’t the case, we need to read the game and to leave less space.

How can you explain the difference between this and last season?

I said it at the start of the season. It’s not the same squad, not the same team. I said at the beginning of the campaign that it could prove to be complicated. There are no easy teams in France, from 1st to 20th. We saw that last season where lots of matches were won on very little. This year, everything is a little more complicated, it’s not illogical.

You went back to a back three again this evening, like you did against Lazio. Would you like to settle on this system?

We can’t really keep on changing things, you know… What we are lacking is the balance of the team. They outnumbered us too easily. It’s too easy to penetrate into our box. We need to work to be better at the breakdown, as high up the pitch as possible. The system is one thing, but it’s not a question of the system, I think. The most difficult thing to find is the balance between defence and attack.

You left Souquet on the bench, one of your main men in the early stages of the season

It’s a choice for one match, you don’t need to look any further. I wanted to see Jallet on the right, to see Burner on the left again. That’s all.

Are you being made to pay for the accumulation of matches, with your side starting the season in July?

I don’t want to talk about that. It’s not an excuse. Last season, it went well. It’s clear that in November and December, we are going to play 10 games in 31 days, that will be a lot. But at the moment, to be honest, it’s ok, we can’t hide behind that.

Are you going to have to relook at the high objectives that you set yourselves for this season?

These high objectives, it’s you that are talking about them, not me. But it’s a very complicated period for us. It’s delicate. We can see that there is something that isn’t working. I already said it, for as long as we aren’t good enough with our ball recovery, we will struggle. It’s the case in all ball sports.

Cardinale was forced to pull out, Saint-Maximin left you down to ten when he had to come off injured, can you tell us any more about that? 

No, not really. For the two of them, they have hamstring problems. That’s what the medical staff told me. But how serious the injuries are, I don’t know any more than that for the moment, for both of them.

---