Franck Haise spoke to the press after OGC Nice’s defeat to FC Porto at the Estádio do Dragão on Matchday 5 of the Europa League (3–0).

To what extent did that goal conceded after 18 seconds disrupt your plans for this match?
It disrupted quite a few things. We didn’t change our plans afterwards, but obviously, given the period we’re in, conceding a goal like that, especially when we outnumber them defensively, is certainly not the best way to start a match.

You conceded in the 3rd minute at Fenerbahçe, in the 2nd minute at Vigo, and here after 18 seconds. I imagine you had addressed this issue with your team…
Yes, of course. Before Marseille, we were the best first-half team in Ligue 1, and in the Europa League, we’re the team that concedes the earliest goals. It doesn’t make much sense. What’s certain is that gifting a team like this a goal after 20 seconds is shooting yourself in the foot. Saying it complicates things is an understatement.

Do you feel discouraged after this result?
No. There have been other matches where I was more affected than tonight. Even if the result is what it is, our European campaign is over by Matchday 5, so obviously, I’m not happy. But from what I saw, I’m not ignoring the goals we conceded, where we should have done better, nor the chances we missed. But in terms of spirit and what we tried to implement, there were positive things, and we fought until the end. Those who came on did some interesting things. In three days, we’re in Lorient, and in fifteen days there will be a European match where we’ll need to show up.

A large part of the away supporters left at half-time. That’s not a good sign for the club…
I can only understand them. You concede a goal after 20 seconds and you’re trailing 2–0 at half-time. The result is hard to swallow, and our European run is hard to swallow. I can understand them. I’m the coach, not a supporter, so I can’t leave at half-time.

What levers do you feel you still have for the future?
The levers are always the same: demanding standards and speaking honestly. When there are positive things in a match, we’ll show them, but we’ll show the first and second goals too. We can’t leave so much space. We have to protect our goal better in those situations. No need for forty replays, we see it live. And then being clinical: we have to keep working in front of goal. We had chances almost clearer than theirs, and we didn’t score tonight. We should have scored 2 or 3 ourselves. Work, standards, honesty and we keep moving forward.

We saw Dante struggling physically. Are you worried about his physical future?
If I had more options in certain positions today… Kojo Oppong has played a lot, his season started 11 months ago. I have to preserve him a bit. Dante is an important player. He has had a week of training and I know that. I know he gives everything but that it’s difficult. It will be difficult all season. I don’t know how he’ll be in 3 or 8 days. I felt he was important for the squad, and he was important in the match.

You are going through difficult times in your job. How do you feel about your situation?
This is a passionate job, one I chose long ago and that I love. But in this job, there are tough moments. Of course I question myself, the directors can tell you, because after the loss to Marseille, I offered to be the “electroshock.” I told myself: if that needs to be the solution, I’m ready to accept it. It seems that, for now, it’s not the solution. So I go back to work with my players, my staff, the club. And if one day, like any coach, I have to be the fuse, then I will be. If it’s for the good of the club, then so be it. As long as it’s not the solution, I’ll fight with the tools we have, with my tools, though if some are missing,  and I’ll keep fighting as long as I’m in charge of OGC Nice.

You offered to resign?
No, I didn’t offer to resign. I will never resign. When you talk with the directors, you say: “If I have to be the fuse to create a shock, I can understand it.” I simply opened the conversation. I will not resign. If I resign, it means I give up and abandon my players. But if it’s for the good of the team, we can discuss it. That’s all I said, but not resignation. I continue to take responsibility, even when we lose matches. And as long as I’m on the touchline and speaking to you, I’ll take responsibility — when we’re bad, or even when we do interesting things but still lose.

What did your directors tell you?
You can see I’m here in front of you. These discussions stay between us.

Have you already looked ahead to potential reinforcements for the next transfer window?
Fifteen days ago, I told the management what I thought we could expect in the transfer window. They know, we’ve discussed it again. There’s what I see with my staff, and then there’s what the club can do — they’re two different things. But yes, I projected myself more than 15 days ago and again very recently.

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