Monaco – Stade Rennes / Tait: “Finishing on the podium before the holidays would be a great Christmas present”
Before a last match in 2021 against Monaco, Flavien Tait was the player present at the press conference for Stade Rennes.
Return : I recovered well, I hadn’t cut a lot, I didn’t spend two weeks doing nothing either. Of course, the rhythm of the matches changes a lot. It was.
Blessing : I had an edema in the hip, following a blow received during the match against Vitesse Arnhem. It gave me a bruise, and pain. There it is good, let’s go. It’s the right hip, the same (as when it had a problem at the start of the season), but I did what the medical staff needed to stop feeling this pain, put a routine in place every day. It pays, it’s cool.
Monegasque: These are very good matches to play, we know the qualities of Monaco even if they are not at the same height as us in the standings. It’s still a great team. Last year we lost there, we must not forget that and prepare well for this big match. There might be a little more space than some games for sure because they are at home and need to take points. If they leave us spaces, that’s fine with us. Even if against low blocks on one also succeeded in setting up some nice things. All in all, we expect a big game.
Revenge against a competitor for Europe: Not necessarily, we want to be focused on ourselves. Why we did not win the matches against direct competitors, we did not talk about it between us, and we have to implement it on the field.
Rennes and Monaco box in the same category: Yes yes, considering the season they did last year. They didn’t start the season in the best possible way, but it’s still a big squad. When we look at ours, it’s kiff-kiff. Now, the ingredients that we are going to put on the ground, that is the most important.
Last match of the first leg: We approach it like the other games. We must end the year well, be in the continuity of what we do. Of course, finishing on the podium before the holidays would be a nice Christmas present. The most important thing is to keep moving forward, to gain points because there is a big second part of the season coming up. After years in Ligue 1, we know that we must stay focused on the match, the holidays will be after. With all the efforts made since the start of the season, it would be silly to forget this match, to take it lightly, to think that we are on vacation. It would be a big mistake on our part. We will be 100% focused on the meeting.
His first part of the season: Completely successful? No, there are always things to correct. It’s a continuation of last season, that’s the most important thing for me. I was also fairly consistent in my performances, I settled into this team and that’s what I wanted. At the start of the season, the goal was to have a series of matches, to be as consistent as possible and to be part of the technical staff of this team. This is what I am doing. I’m happy but the season is not over.
Impressive statistics: So much the better, that’s good, we must continue. I don’t watch it too much. There are a lot of statistics, the most important is what we ask the coach, the identity we can have on the field. This year, the environment is very interesting, we bring a lot of things, we create opportunities, we defend, we press, this is the most important in our eyes. The most important thing is to help the team in this role, and I think we are doing it well at the moment.
Stop during his injury: No, he didn’t do me any good. It frustrated me a bit because I was disappointed not to help the teams, to play these four great games against direct competitors. I feel a lot better when I go to matches, I feel like I’m flying when I’m on the pitch. Physically you have to get back into it. I missed 4 games, it’s not nothing. This cup match did me good, to play again to be ready for tomorrow.
The impatience of the truce: Obviously these are important moments for us and our families. We are going to celebrate Christmas like everyone else, and take advantage of these 5 days to cut mentally and physically. You have to be as professional as possible, not to do anything random either. Cut too short? Yes, for sure 5-6 days is not a lot. When we come back, mentally we will have cut well, and physically we will not be too late, that’s good too.
Should players have a say in the calendars: Yes, because we are the most important actors. But hey, I will not go into this debate. It’s true that sometimes the calendars, there are a lot of games and it’s not the best.
The borders : Son brought? Very well. It brings us a lot of things especially the state of mind. He scores a lot of goals. It is he who triggers almost all the pressings. It makes us move forward when we are in the middle. He brings an irreproachable state of mind to the field, he’s someone who fights. We are very happy to have him in the team.
French Cup draw: We had mentally prepared to play on January 2nd. What I like is that we are going to play on good ground, in good conditions, against a Ligue 2 team, but we know the importance of the cup. We will have to be focused and it will be a good game to start the return phase.
Middle at 3: Lovro brings his vision of the game, his technique to the middle. He runs a lot. Kamaldeen, we know his percussion qualities on one side, which helped us a lot at the start of the season.
Not to finish on the podium at the break: It wouldn’t be a huge disappointment because the championship doesn’t end there. Obviously disappointment given our first part of the season, but the points are the most important, there will be a lot of games left behind. We will still have the opportunity to be at the end of the season.
Contract extension: No, there are no discussions at this time. I stay focused on the pitch, and it’s my performance that will bring it all.