Patrick Vieira spoke at his press conference following his side’s victory over Monaco (2-0), which brought the 2018-19 season to a close.

Coach, was it important to finish the season like that?

It was our objective, we really wanted to finish on a good note. It was a perfect evening. Even though we didn’t start the game all that well and we struggled to get into the match, it was a great victory.

What will you take away from this season?

The solidarity of the club. In the difficult times, the club remained united. And when I say the club, I really want to talk about the employees, players and staff. We faced up to the difficulties that we had, because we did have a complicated season. The fact that we remained grounded and won matches is down to the solidarity of the club. That’s what allowed us to finish in 7th.

Do you learn more from these types of situations?

Of course, we learn a lot more from difficult times. We need to be able to rely on one another and on me, I am surrounded by great people. My coaching staff have been very important, Fred Gioria and Lionel Letizi really know this club, I leant on them when taking certain decisions. It was important for us.

You were just missing a striker in order to go and get that little extra…

Exactly. We lacked a striker who could have helped us to finish a little higher. But what was really interesting about this squad was that in the difficult times, not one player complained or blamed the club or teammates.

Is the season a success or disappointment?

I don’t know if it is a good season or not. I prefer to leave people the chance to make their own minds up. We still want to win and to improve, nothing is perfect, there were errors and I have learned quite a lot. We always want to do better. I think I have, with the staff, managed to get an awful lot out of the players. That’s what has allowed us to always be in the middle or the top of the table. Could I have asked more of the players? Maybe. But in terms of commitment, the sacrifices and work they have put in during training, I don’t think I could have. So on the whole, I am satisfied.

“We need to develop the squad”

What can we expect for Le Gym’s immediate future?

What we want to do is to work for next year, because to have a second season like this will be very complicated. We need to improve the squad, we need more competition in order to be able to finish higher, if the squad allows it. 

A word on the supporters, who once again gave you an extraordinary ovation this evening?

They were extraordinary. They have always been behind the squad, they have never given up, never moaned about the players’ work. The supporters are part of the club, they are the club. When I spoke of solidarity, they formed part of that. In the difficult moment, they were always there.

Can you confirm that you will be here next year?

There is no reason for me not to be here. 

In what mood will you leave for your holidays?

Satisfied. But we need to continue to work because at the end of the day, the work of a coach never ends. With the President (Gauthier Ganaye), Gilles (Grimandi, Technical Director), Matthieu (Louis-Jean, Head of Scouting) and his scouts, we will continue to work, because we need to find players to develop the squad.

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