2018 will kick off for OGC Nice in Toulouse on Saturday, when they play in the Round of 64 of the Coupe de France (at 3pm). Before traveling to the Haute-Garonne for the second time this season, Maxime Le Marchand spoke to the press. The 28 year old defender made the most of the opportunity to set out his ambitions for this new year.   

The return

“There was a break, but quite a short one. There was no going over the top: we had some tests where they weighed and tested our body fat and the results were good. The first 2-3 training sessions are always a bit tough as you need to get back into the rhythm, but it came back quickly. The build-up of games? We have worked hard to build up an aerobic base. We will need to be intelligent too in the way we manage games.”  

The confidence

“It was important to finish the year well, with a good series of results to get our confidence back. We want to continue like that. We learned a lot from our bad run of games. We need to be very vigilant because we don’t want to fall back into old ways. To be aware of it will allow us not to let our foot off the pedal.”

The left back position 

“I can help out in that position, it can work well. The coach knows that I can play in the middle or at left back. He will make his choices and I will do all I can to perform.”

Coupe de France   

“It’s always a pleasure to play in it. There are quite a lot of rounds before you can go far in this competition. We will need to be very careful, because matches which come after the winter break are never easy. When you play a lower league side, they are playing in the game of their year, with a special atmosphere. But to face a Ligue 1 side is no easier. The mental preparation will be different. There is no one match which is more important between Monaco (on Tuesday in the Quarter Finals of the Coupe de la Ligue) and Toulouse. These are mini-finals, that we will take one after the other, each time giving our all.”

The objectives  

“Picking a competition amongst the 4 that we are still involved with is not in the coach’s mentality nor that of the club. The first half of the season was a bit mixed, with some good things and some less good things. We want to experience something and to really get our fans going. So we might as well play our best in every game and see what happens. For me, playing in a final, that is a bit of a dream. We play football to lift trophies and so far l, I haven’t lifted many (smiles). When you spend time with players who have done so, they tell you that it’s incredible. And there is also a realisation of the squad’s quality. There is everything at this club that is needed to climb very high.”

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