Antoine Kombouaré
NantesPaulo Fonseca
Lille
Meeting Highlights…PSG
PSG was motivated to win. Then you have an opponent in front of you, they don't come in tap dancing, they come to do their job and they too are motivated, or sometimes even more. I am disappointed because I support all the French clubs in the European Cup. And disappointed because I think that for PSG, there was room. Dortmund also had two great matches. It’s not undeserved to see Dortmund find themselves in the final.
…ABOUT THE MATCH
We are going to do everything to ensure we have a positive result, because we are tired of losing. We are fed up with each time not being able to bring back a positive result, so we have pride, quality and we want to correct that. We know that it is against Lille, a team which is fourth, which has just lost at home with a big opportunity to beat Brest, they are going to be revengeful. We want to win for ourselves and we know that with a positive result it could be favourable for us to maintain but everything is possible. It's necessary to be vigilant. We are motivated to win. I saw that Lille is the fifth best attack and the third best defence, so we had better be strong. I think we will have situations and opportunities to finally score.
…CHANGE OF CAPTAIN
We are trying things. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. I wanted to give the armband to Alban to find out if it would have an impact on him, on the team, on the results. We cannot stand idly by. We try things on the pitch but also on the relationships we have with the players. But be careful: the real captain is Pedro Chirivella, continues the Nantes coach. But I wanted to shake things up a bit. I had spoken about it with Pedro beforehand. If he had told me no, I wouldn't have done it.
Antoine Kombouaré
Manager on Nantes…PSG
PSG was motivated to win. Then you have an opponent in front of you, they don't come in tap dancing, they come to do their job and they too are motivated, or sometimes even more. I am disappointed because I support all the French clubs in the European Cup. And disappointed because I think that for PSG, there was room. Dortmund also had two great matches. It’s not undeserved to see Dortmund find themselves in the final.
…ABOUT THE MATCH
We are going to do everything to ensure we have a positive result, because we are tired of losing. We are fed up with each time not being able to bring back a positive result, so we have pride, quality and we want to correct that. We know that it is against Lille, a team which is fourth, which has just lost at home with a big opportunity to beat Brest, they are going to be revengeful. We want to win for ourselves and we know that with a positive result it could be favourable for us to maintain but everything is possible. It's necessary to be vigilant. We are motivated to win. I saw that Lille is the fifth best attack and the third best defence, so we had better be strong. I think we will have situations and opportunities to finally score.
…CHANGE OF CAPTAIN
We are trying things. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. I wanted to give the armband to Alban to find out if it would have an impact on him, on the team, on the results. We cannot stand idly by. We try things on the pitch but also on the relationships we have with the players. But be careful: the real captain is Pedro Chirivella, continues the Nantes coach. But I wanted to shake things up a bit. I had spoken about it with Pedro beforehand. If he had told me no, I wouldn't have done it.
Paulo Fonseca
Manager on Lille…NEWS
What came out yesterday is not true. I don't know who spoke, but it's not true. I do not have an agreement with another club. I am totally focused on our last two matches. I will decide after these two matches. Today, I don't want to talk about all that. I want to think of Nantes and Nice. At the moment, everything is possible.
…PREPARATION
I always talk with the players and football is for strong people. We must react positively. What did I do this week? I showed the players what we had done. If we are here, in this position two days from the end, it is because the players have done extraordinary things. They have to believe in their ability because we have already shown that we can win these matches. The main objective of this week was to make our enormous capabilities understood by bringing optimism to the group.
…ABOUT THE MATCH
We have to try to show them what we have to do. It’s not a question of attitude, but of management. We need to better manage the moments in a match, says Paulo Fonseca to the media. Players want to win, and I see that, but maybe that blocks players' abilities. The final matches are difficult for all teams, both at the top and bottom of the standings. We can see the results, it’s not easy. I told the players that this pressure was the right one, and was the one I wanted for life. What is difficult is the pressure that the players experience in Metz, in Clermont, all the teams who seek to stay in Ligue 1. It's a question of mentality and this week, that's what we have worked: the state of mind. The goal was to have a good atmosphere, a good atmosphere to bring tranquillity in the run-up to this match.