Interview

Vieira: “Lots of emotions”

When speaking to the press, Patrick Vieira savoured his side’s victory in Le Derby, after they had gone behind in the first half.

Patrick, a victory secured in the closing stages of this derby…

There were a lot of emotions at the end of this match. It was a very complicated match. We need to savour this victory. The players worked until the very end to take these three points. They were rewarded for their efforts. We didn’t steal the win, even though it was a very tough match for us.

Is this the best match of your season?

The way the evening went could lead you to ask this question. But we were really put under pressure in the first half, we struggled to come out with the ball, to create chances…. quite simply, to cause them any problems…But on the whole, our performance was quite coherent.

With these three points, you climb back into the top third of the table, not far off the European places…

Yes, but that can change tomorrow. This league is very tight and complicated. The objective is to focus on what we produce on the pitch, we will see what happens with the league table, it changes from one week to the next. In our recent matches, we have missed several opportunities to break into the teams at the top. We have won an important match this evening and now we go to Paris and then welcome Montpellier… We will need to manage to put in back-to-back performances

I saw a committed squad, players who came on who brought something, solidarity in those tough moments. That’s what gives us the hope of finishing as high as possible.

A word on Kasper Dolberg’s brace?

The brace is thanks to the squad. On both goals, he anticipated well, he is a player who is constantly moving. In the first half, he suffered a lot, he was isolated, but he scored two important goals.

Your tactical change (to switch to a back four) changed the match…

What I take away from this match is the ability of my players to adapt to this change in formation. It’s important that they understand both systems, because when we struggle in a match, you need to be able to change things. The players adapted well, those that came on brought a lot to the team, especially Christophe (Hérelle).

In eight days, you will travel to Paris Saint-Germain…

We have the time to prepare for the match next week. This evening, we can enjoy the victory, the players deserve that. After trailing an excellent side who denied us the ball until the break, they didn’t give up and were rewarded for their efforts.

The current situation in France with the Coronavirus, is that something you are keeping a close eye on?

We are following it very closely. We will follow the advice that we are given, we don’t have the choice in any case. But it’s clear that playing in grounds with atmospheres like the one tonight, that’s a huge plus, it’s what allowed us to go out and get this win, even though we know that there are some things that are a lot more important than a match of football.