Pleased with the realism showed by his team who were able to get a win from a difficult game, Lucien Favre congratulated his players for their togetherness in holding on for the victory.

Coach, what do you take from this game ?
The win. It’s good to win. Especially away from home. Against Lorient, it had already been difficult in the first game. It helps us. It is deserved because with 10 against 11, you need to hold one. We sweated a bit (smiles). It’s important to take three points, even though a draw wouldn’t have been a bad result. But to win in those circumstances, that is good.

What did you make of Balotelli’s sending-off ?
What do you want me to say? What is done is done. Then, we dug in deep to hold on. It is just as equally deserved for the ten on the pitch as for the two that came on. Against a strong attacking side, with chances in Cabot, Marveaux, Waris etc. We contained them well. We saw yesterday, in the match between Bastia and Monaco that it was hard for everybody.

Do you blame him ?
I am not like that. It’s clear that going down to ten when there are still 25 minutes to play, it’s tough. Before every game, my final words in the changing rooms are to not get a red and not to give away a penalty. I didn’t see what happened. Some words must have been said… I don’t know. Mario had a good week in training, he was more involved, even if you need to back him up a lot because of him getting back into position etc.

You seemed wound-up at the end of the game...
It was a tough match. We all suffered, on the bench too. That is nothing. That’s the way it is, it’s nothing.

You have gained 2 points on Monaco, how important is that ?
The most important thing is the three points we take away tonight. Against a good team, I already said it, even with their league position. I saw their game against Lille, they managed it well and had chances. Apart from that, I have the same philosophy: game after game. You can all see it is tough in every game. We are very realistic.

A word on the impact of Obbadi in midfield ?
He allows Cyrien to play further forward, to be more free, even though he didn’t always find the space between the two lines. In defence, Mounir does well. He is settling in bit by bit, he’s a good guy, very positive and plays well. But he is more a number 8 than a 6.

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