He is a player who likes a battle. To fight. He has experienced both relegation dogfights and pushes for Europe. Pillar of the Nice defence, Paul Baysse is also a man of the dressing room. As the weeks go by and the matches await, the central defender of the Gym speaks with determination to deliver his views on the Red and Black’s season. A captain at the helm.

Paul, Nice have suffered at times during games in the past couple of weeks, are the squad…
(He interrupts) But we haven’t been broken and that is good. It shows the values that there are in the team. However, we can’t play with fire too much, if we do, we can get ourselves into trouble, like against Rennes, where we went in 0-2 down at half-time. At the moment, we often have a strong period and a more difficult period in each game. We need to find our performances for the full 90 minutes again.

How can you explain these difficult periods?
It’s difficult to explain. The qualities, we have them, the desire too. We need to work on not running out of steam, every day, every weekend. After that, we aren’t playing alone. There are matches like against Lorient when we scored early but in which the opposition needs points and begins to force the game. They had one player more than us for 30 minutes, need points, playing at home, playing for survival… The fact they push themselves, you can understand that. If we can avoid conceding goals in the difficult moments, that’s a good solution. We need to maintain that, over and above our qualities, that spirit that drives us on. The desire to win and the refusal of defeat.

This defensive force, is it the main change from last year’s side?
We have still been on-edge in several situations… To stay in the game against Lorient, it was really hard. If they had scored and taken a point, it wouldn’t have been undeserved. But, we defended well, pulled together and Cardi' made the saves that we needed.

Sometimes, you need to know how to hold on…
To score early on and then hold on, it’s tough. To be at ease and reach a turning point, we need to learn to kill off games. Against Lorient, if we had got it to 2-0, it would have been over. Finished. The teams at the top of the league, without naming them, kill off games and avoid those difficult moments. To remain aware and awake for 95 minutes: that is the real challenge.

“WE HEARD PEOPLE SAY THAT WE WERE GOING TO COLLAPSE, IT’S NORMAL. WE CONTINUE TO HEAR IT…”

As the matches go by, do you feel that all points are becoming more and more precious?
There are 11 games to go and the points are still as important as they were at the start, even if the end of the season is approaching. But honestly, we are not focussing on that. In our heads, nobody is saying we need to hold on. If they season has to go on longer, let it go on longer! We just want to play, to take pleasure from and give our all in each game. To run, defend well, attack well and above all, to win.

To be “still there” with 11 games to go must cause quite a few reactions amongst the squad on a daily basis...
Yes, but it isn’t new. Last year, given our great run, it was the same. There were a lot of changes last summer, right at the top, with the manager, the players: everyone was waiting for us to trip up. They knew we would try to play, because the guidelines haven’t changed, but each time, we heard that we would collapse, it’s normal. We heard it and we continue to hear it.

What inspires you?
We proved that we have the quality to still be there. We deserve to be there. The people say that Nice now make up one of the clubs that are playing for the European places. A few years ago, that wasn’t the case. Symbolically, if we achieve a place in the Champions League this year, that will mean a lot. So that the Gym can continue to grow, we need to be in a position to repeat this type of performance and to avoid yo-yoing  back and forth.

So a good season doesn’t constitute an achievement...
Even last year, it wasn’t an achievement because we had a good season. We need to confirm it this season, because nothing is finished. We are on our way, well placed in the table, but there are still 11 games, so 33 points to play for. Lots of things can still happen.

“WE HATE LOSING”

Do you have a fixed target amongst the players ?
We don’t fix any limits but we are ambitious and, above all, we want to win, win and win. The guys who are on the pitch hate losing. Those who are on the bench or don’t make the squad do too. When we talk about spirit, it’s exactly that that we are talking about, this belligerence. When there are thirty minutes to go and you are trailing 0-1, you can say that it’s over and let your head drop. Or not. And we, we don’t let anything go and we will not let go of games in the future. This makes up our values and it needs to continue. Personally, to lose, it makes me crazy. It can happen, but it hurts. And I am not the only one in the group, there are a lot of us like it…

As captain, do you ever have to calm things down in the squad?
We have never had this problem individually.

And collectively?
During games, in our chats, in our discussions, there are several members of the squad that speak, and we need to do so. The role isn’t assigned to any one player, it’s based on a feeling. It’s important. There was a moment, for example, when we were conceding goals in the first 15 minutes of the second-half. We needed to make others aware of it, and then rectify the situation, remain concentrated and switched on.

“WORDS, ACTIONS: EVERYTHING NEEDS TO BE POSITIVE. AFTER THE GAME IS THE TIME TO DISCUSS THINGS"

What is said in those type of situations ?
Our words, actions : everything needs to be positive. There are always things that haven’t been done well but, for me, they aren’t to be said at half-time. At that time, you need to encourage each other, motivate each other, pull-together. After the match, it is the time to discuss things as they are, but during, we need to put messages across in the right way, not to bury ourselves, to look each other in the eyes and to stand up and take responsibility for what we do. Mistakes, everybody makes them. But we all know how to play football, you need to keep your head and repeat that.

Even when it is difficult?
Even when it is difficult, there is something positive to take from it and to pass on, including just a simple encouragement. You can’t feel sorry for yourself. The guy doesn’t make a pass? OK, instead of slating him, you tell him that the next one will be a good one. It’s like that and it’s important. These are forms and not “tweezers”. At the end of the chat, we need to go out again together. If everyone is positive, we can move mountains.

What do you make of the Dijon side you face next?
They are a really good team, with lots of good players across the pitch, from the goalkeeper to their strikers. They put people under pressure and it will be a tough match. They often play with 3 or 5 at the back, with lots of density. We will have to move them about, to be patient. But rather than thinking about them, we need to concentrate on ourselves, our psychology, our game and our objectives.

C.D.

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