Philippe Montanier: “Each match will be a battle like against Dijon, we will have to fight until the end”
After the 4-1 win over DFCO, Philippe Montanier appeared at a press conference. Interview.
Philippe, what is your reaction after this success?
“It was not easy, especially in the first half and when you look at Dijon. We must not forget that they were on a good dynamic. We saw their quality and it was enough to look at their bench, with Le Bihan, Pi or even Philippoteaux. We knew how to prefer the balance on our side.”
Your three attackers, Ngoumou, Ratao and Onaiwu, scored!
“We had opportunities that we badly negotiated in the last third of the pitch. I’m thinking of Mikkel’s (Desler) shot where Ado (Onaiwu) is alone in the middle and counters. Efficiency is often the key. In this match, we may have the same number of shots on target as against Pau, but we were more efficient and that was decisive. Of course individuals like Rhys (Healey) are unique to the team. The TFC should not be reduced to 2-3 good individuals. Everyone takes over and must serve the team. On this subject, I am overwhelmed this Saturday afternoon.”
Why did you choose Diakité rather than Diarra on the left?
“It depends on the form and the opponent. I found Bafo interesting against Nancy, but it’s not a usual position for him. We developed a lot in training and he improved his defensive and offensive performance. He is able to cause overcrowding. Having a right-hander on the left is interesting, because there are passing angles that there are not with a left-hander.”
Another goal conceded, while Dijon was not very dangerous…
“It’s still infuriating for Maxime, because we conceded another goal with three times nothing… Finally, Dijon deserves to score his goal, but it’s true that we didn’t suffer many shots. We are also one of the teams that takes the fewest shots on target in the championship. We must take our hats off to the defense and to the whole team for their defensive investment.”
A word on the return of the public?
“When they are there, it often goes well. It’s a real extra strength and the players dedicated this victory to the public. On a spent a pleasant weekend. The rest, the other results, on not mastering it. We can’t do better than winning.”
How do you view the fight for the rise?
“Every match is going to be a battle like this. We have to find the means to mark the differences. I think we’re going to have to fight until the end, but if we play matches like that and keep going, that should allow us to have more strength for the finish.”