Following the victory over Strasbourg (2–1), Olivier Pantaloni praised his players’ performance before giving a reassuring update on Djibril Coulibaly.

Coach, you were hoping that the qualities we saw three weeks ago hadn’t been lost over the break. You’ve got your answer…

Yes, but we did have to give a few gentle reminders after training yesterday (Saturday) and during the team talk. Still, the players rose to the occasion, which is a very good thing.

What did you say to them?

Simply that they needed to get into the game to give themselves a chance of winning. Because yesterday’s (Saturday’s) training session, the day before the game, didn’t live up to my expectations. There had been a change in attitude between the build-up to the Lille game and this one. I was worried they’d forgotten what they’d done against Lille.

What is your assessment of this win, your second consecutive home win?

We made two very good starts to each half. In the first half, I think the opening quarter of an hour was of a very high standard. And then, inexplicably, we sat back. Our positioning was very poor, especially in midfield, which gave Strasbourg a lot of freedom and caused us problems in our play. We struggled to win the ball back. Then, when we did win it back, I felt we wasted quite a few chances and were playing pretty much only on the counter-attack. The team was basically split in two, but we were lucky enough to equalise just before half-time.

By adjusting the players’ positioning and being willing to press the opposition much higher up the pitch, I think we caused them problems. We got off to a brilliant start. I think we deserved to take the lead in the first quarter of an hour, with three clear-cut chances and a header from Elye Wahi as well. Even so, despite failing to score, we kept trying to put pressure on them. We showed a bit more control. We knew that the best ways to cause them problems were down the flanks. We worked hard on that aspect, which enabled us to score that second goal. After that, the lads pulled together on the pitch to secure the win against a side that were pushing hard.

A word on Hicham Boudaoui’s introduction?

Overall, I thought the substitutes were very good. Hicham made a huge difference in midfield with his technical ability and his distribution of the ball. But then, whether it was Sofiane or Isak who came on later, I thought they put in the effort needed to contain Strasbourg.

The second half was much more under control. Is that the sort of approach you’re looking to implement?

Yes, in the second half, we felt that by being much more active in our play and pressing the opposition much higher up the pitch, we caused them problems in building their play. But we also gained confidence because we won the ball back quite quickly and were able to make the most of it going forward. So, once again, I think that gives us strength, boosts our confidence and allows us to see all the qualities this team has to offer.

What did you think of Youssouf’s performance?

He’d already made up for some of his mistakes from the start of the season against Lille. He’s someone who’s committed, who works hard and who’s keen to learn. We had another video session with him this morning to correct a few things in training. He’s always keen to learn and always listens. You can see that in one-on-one situations, he’s solid and very strong.

You mentioned the flanks. What can you tell us about Jonathan Clauss?

Yes, that’s the Jonathan we love to see. We saw him against Lille. Now, by coincidence, we could mention the captain’s armband, but I don’t think that played a part. Today, maybe he’s simply at the top of his game and showing us just how talented he is.

Could you give us an update on Djibril Coulibaly and also explain why Abdi and Ngoumou are missing from the squad?

Djibril suffered from severe headaches whilst on the pitch. He hadn’t had any problems before the game. He’s a young player who has put in a huge amount of effort since the start of the season. Could that be the reason? In any case, the doctor examined him and there’s nothing serious. We might give him a bit more time this week to recover. As for Nathan Ngoumou and Ali Abdi, there were two slight concerns, one with Ali’s quadriceps and the other with Nathan’s adductor. Today, we had players available who could step in to replace them in their respective positions. So, we decided not to take any risks to ensure they recover and are available from the start of next week.

We saw Elye Wahi come off looking frustrated. Is there a lack of confidence?

Perhaps, yes. But he needs to be patient. He’ll get back on track because we all know how talented he is. It’s a shame he didn’t manage to score. In all four situations, it came down to the narrowest of margins in terms of offside. And then there was that header in the second half that didn’t hit the target. But whatever happens, he’s there, he’s making his presence felt and he’s creating those chances for himself.

This is the first time in a year that OGC Nice have won two matches in a row. Can we already talk about a positive run of form?

Let’s just say that wins boost confidence. We can hope that this will allow us to play even more freely, with less of the burden of last season weighing on our shoulders. Have we started a run? I hope so. We’ve got a big match at the end of next week against Lyon. We’ll see what we’re capable of in a different setting, away from home, against a very strong side. We’re capable of putting in a good performance against Lyon as well. Either way, two consecutive wins, even if they’re at home, obviously do us a world of good. We’ll be able to work with the players in a much more relaxed manner, whilst still keeping the pressure on them. Since that match against Lille, they’ve set the bar very high in terms of the standards expected of them regarding the effort they need to put in, their commitment and their determination on the pitch.

 

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