By Nicholas Claich
Published on
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How are you enjoying the current good times, after the team’s complicated start to the season?
Our start to the season is explained by special circumstances. Players arrived at the very end of the Mercato, we had a lot of injuries, among the key players. Serious injuries. There were also a lot of incidents against us, against Dijon or QRM, matches that we should have won, like in Pau. It took time for everyone to come back. We are missing points, but we have recovered in the last three matches.
Does the potential displayed in recent weeks leave you with any regrets?
Of course we could be in the top five but we could also not have taken off… To be at the top, you have to be consistent, and not have any problems. However, we have had them all year! There has not been a week where the coach has been able to make his team normally. Today, the players are also physically ready. We needed peace and serenity because we knew that the qualities were there. Now, we must show humility so that what is being put in place continues. Since Auxerre (2-2), there is only one half, in Dijon, that we missed…
What can be the end of season goals?
We want to finish as high as possible, of course. But above all, continue to be solid, to perform. We hope to get closer to Le Havre and 6th place.
Jessy (Deminguet) is a driving force, a manager of the project.
Paradoxically, this good period could get you into trouble. Many players (Deminguet, Lepenant…) will be solicited…
We don’t wait for things to work out to take care of these files. We want all the players to stay and we are working in that direction. The players are realizing that the project is taking shape. We talk a lot with them. They are under contract, do not believe that they will leave like that. They are intelligent players, they know that we have always been there when it was harder. A boy like Jessy (Deminguet) loves the club more than anything, he stayed when it was difficult. He is a driving force, a manager of the project.
For Nuno (Da Costa), the desire is there but we are not a priority.
The Da Costa case, loaned by Nottingham Forest without an option to buy, looks just as complicated?
I talk to his agent every day. Nuno feels very well in Caen. He is fulfilled, his family too, and he is loved by everyone. It’s important and it shows on the pitch. The desire is there on our side, but he is under contract with a club and we are not a priority.
A player like Alexandre Mendy, very effective this season, is also likely to be requested even if his contract runs until 2024?
When we took him, he was in a complicated period. We got him back on his feet, we always trusted him, protected when he was criticized, like last year. He had never done any preparation. There, he made one and he is rewarded with goals and stats.
Many executives (Riou, Oniangué, Court, Gonçalves) are out of contract in June 2022. What are your plans with them?
There will be discussions when the time comes, but it is still a bit early to talk about it. We still have points to take.
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