Olympique Lyonnais boss Bruno Genesio was thrilled after his team backed up their impressive win over Manchester City with a 4-2 Olympico K.O. of nine-man Marseille, whose boss Rudi Garcia felt the second half was ‘catastrophic’.
Sunday, September 23, 2018
Olympique Lyonnais 4 – 2 Olympique de Marseille 
Bruno Genesio (Olympique Lyonnais coach): “This has turned out to be a great week for us. Even though it didn’t start off that well [a 2-2 draw in Caen], it ended up marvelously. Bravo to my squad, who turned in two excellent performances in the space of four days. We could have been 2-0 up at half-time rather than level at 1-1. But I loved how my team reacted in the second half, as getting forward and scoring three goals is no easy task. After our win in Manchester [against City in the UEFA Champions League], we can’t drop below a certain level. This was a stylish and spirited win and I’m very happy.”
Rudi Garcia (Olympique de Marseille coach): “The better team won, and we made too many defensive errors to hope to win it. The first half was good but the second was catastrophic – we were far too generous with such talented players of such talent, and then we had one player injured and another sent off, ending with nine players. We played well overall but we weren’t solid enough for long periods. The second and third goals bothered me more than the penalty. When you gift two goals to your opponent, especially in Lyon, it becomes mission impossible.”
Stade Rennais FC 1 – 3 Paris Saint-Germain 
Sabri Lamouchi (Rennes coach): “We’re very frustrated and disappointed but I can’t much criticise my players. They played with heart and intensity and put in a lot of effort, opening the scoring. After that we sat deeper and deeper. I’m not saying Paris didn’t deserve to win, but my players weren’t rewarded. We played a bit too much. We mustn’t play for the sake of playing, we must play to win.”
Thomas Tuchel (Paris Saint-Germain coach): “This was a good reaction from us after the game at Anfield and then Rennes scoring first here. I am happy. We played with a lot of courage and intensity, notably in terms of our pressing. We have improved in that respect and we need to improve still more. We made it difficult for Rennes to defend. It was a difficult match but good for our confidence to have won it.”
EA Guingamp 1 – 3 Girondins de Bordeaux 
Antoine Kombouaré (Guingamp coach): “When you lose 3-1 it is because you haven’t played well. We are fragile and in great difficulty. We’re lacking a lot and we’ve lost six games from six. We have too many defensive deficiencies and we struggle to last out games. People criticise us and they’re right to do so. My role is to find answers, even if for now things aren’t working. I still have faith and I’m still confident in my work.”
Eric Bedouet (Bordeaux coach): “This victory does us a lot of good. We know it’s difficult to play off the back of Europe. This was a difficult game against a well-organised team. The scoreline is flattering to us and it could have been the other way around. In the first half we played too deep. We attacked more in the second half and we had the luck that Guingamp didn’t enjoy. We are in a reconstruction phase with players who have not been here for very long.”
Saturday, September 22, 2018
LOSC 2 – 1 FC Nantes 
Christophe Galtier (Lille coach): “We were up against a very good Nantes team. We tried to combat their strong points and attack their weak points. We had good the fortune to win the match because it could easily have been a draw. We managed to make the difference at important moments, and we managed to hold onto our lead. The league table is for the media. We have 13 points, but we need to keep demanding more from ourselves. We must appreciate this victory, but we must also remain lucid and not starting things will be easy.”
Miguel Cardoso (Nantes coach): “We were having difficulty in the first 20 minutes but I could understand that given the different dynamics of the two teams. Lille started very strongly and forced us into making mistakes, which is normal given that we have been going through some difficulties. After that we saw a really good Nantes side and we had chances to equalise. We showed character right up until the last minute to try to get the equaliser. The players deserve credit but we were not lucky with the result. A draw would have been fair. All teams who are in need of points are under pressure, and we are lacking points. I didn’t need to speak to the players in the dressing room. The players said that things will change if we keep playing like we did today.”
Angers SCO 0 – 0 Toulouse FC 
Stéphane Moulin (Angers coach): “We knew we were coming up against quality opposition. Both teams had chances to win, so a draw was a fair result. It was a very tactical encounter. For us it is a good point given who we were playing. They knew what we did against Dijon and so they were prepared for it. They prevented us from doing what we like to do and my only regret is that we didn’t take our chances. But I can only emphasise the quality of the opposition – they will make other teams suffer, and they already have.”
Alain Casanova (Toulouse coach): “We didn’t play well in the first half, and Angers were very well organised. They are a team who put you in danger as soon as they win the ball back. They are also one of the best teams in France at dead balls. Our second-half performance was much better, and although it was not what I was hoping for at kick-off, I will settle for a point. We will need to do better though.”
Montpellier Hérault SC 1 – 0 OGC Nice 
Michel Der Zakarian (Montpellier coach): “We played a real good game. We played with lots of intensity and we pressed them high up the park. We never let Nice play their game. We deserved the victory given our performance and the aggression with which we played. I thought our attitude was great. I didn’t doubt my attacking players after the commitment they showed in training. It is just a shame that Andy Delort didn’t get a goal. Now we need to try to repeat this performance every weekend. It is good to have 11 points, but it is just the start of the season. We need to go into the game against Caen with the right mindset to set ourselves up for the derby next Sunday.”
Patrick Vieira (Nice coach): “It is not Balotelli’s problem, it is the whole team. When we play at that level, if our opponents want it more than us, that is a bad start. I didn’t like our lack of desire and determination. Before thinking about winning games, their needs to be a minimum level that we perform to, and we didn’t do that. I don’t know if we were over-confident after recent results. Montpellier did not pose us many problems, but they did show more desire. Mario (Balotelli) is not ready yet physically and he was the image of our team tonight.”
Stade de Reims 0 – 0 Dijon FCO 
David Guion (Reims coach): “I don’t think Edouard Mendy dived once. We had seven clear chances and we ended the game with 11 shots on target and 20 crosses. We just were not clinical enough in the final third. That is the only thing I can reproach of my players this evening.”
Olivier Dall’Oglio (Dijon coach): “To come here to Reims and leave with a draw is a very good result for us. That said, I am frustrated with the way we played. We are capable of better. I thought we looked scared at times in the first half when there was no reason to. That is what most concerns me.”
AS Saint-Etienne 2 – 1 SM Caen 
Jean-Louis Gasset (Saint-Etienne coach): “The desire was there in the first half even if we were a bit clumsy. We tried to play but when you concede a goal like we did, you do start to have doubts. We stepped things up in the second half though, and it is a good night for us. I just hope it is the start of something. The mistake by Stéphane Ruffier is nothing. When you think how many times we have had to thank him. He thanked his teammates at the end for putting right his blunder. There is no need to show him the images again, he knows.”
Fabien Mercadal (Caen coach): “I have regrets. We are disappointed with how we played. We could have done better. Things went against us with the two injuries in the same area of the team before half-time. But we didn’t offer enough, even in the first half. We were lucky to be ahead at half-time. And then we did what you must not do and conceded a penalty right at the start of the second half. We had a few chances to draw level at 2-2 late on but I have the impression that the players didn’t really believe. Saint-Etienne deserved the victory. We need to remobilise now in order to improve.”
RC Strasbourg Alsace 3 – 1 Amiens SC 
Thierry Laurey (Strasbourg coach): “The first half ended with a stroke of bad luck. We needed to find solutions and the boys put their hands up. I can only congratulate them because it was not easy. The equalising goal lifted everyone and then we were very solid and didn’t panic. I am proud of my players for showing that they were capable of lifting themselves. That is good news. We had words at half-time and straight away the boys put their words into action and that is important. It was a great turnaround with the support of the fans who really helped us reverse the trend.”
Christophe Pelissier (Amiens coach): “It is a massive disappointment because we did what we wanted to do in the first half. We were lucky to get the goal before half-time, and we often say that that is a blow to the opposition, but this time it was the other way around. We gave up mentally after the second goal went in and we couldn’t keep hold of the ball. We had two totally different halves and that is not good enough. Last year our defence was our strongpoint and yet this year we have the feeling we are being penalised as soon as there is a counter-attack. That is another three goals conceded and it is something we really need to remedy. It was bizarre to see a team who were so well organised in the first half malfunction like that as soon as we conceded. We need to be stronger.”
Friday, September 21, 2018
AS Monaco 1 – 1 Nîmes Olympique 
Leonardo Jardim (Monaco coach): “It’s a frustrating result but I’m happy with the commitment of the players and the way they conducted themselves. If we’d taken our chances then we could have won 3-1 or 4-1. The Nîmes goalkeeper had a great match and made three terrific saves. For three other chances, well they fell to Sylla and Mboula and at 18 and 19 you’re not always clinical. The objective is still the podium. The question is whether the team will progress enough in order to be able to compete for the podium.”
Bernard Blaquart (Nîmes coach): “I’m satisfied to be taking a point home, especially the way the second half went. The draw isn’t a miracle and we’re happy with the number of points we have at the start of the season, our game too. We still need to progress as we’ve only taken two points from our last four matches. We have talented players and the lads don’t take themselves for anybody else. Three yours ago, some of them might have been close to hanging up their boots.”
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