Jean-Louis Gasset called AS Saint-Etienne’s 4-3 win over Angers SCO “a bit crazy”, while Vahid Halilhodžić savoured another win for FC Nantes as they thrashed EA Guingamp. Reactions…
Sunday, November 4, 2018
AS Saint-Etienne 4 – 3 Angers SCO 
Jean-Louis Gasset (Saint-Etienne coach): “You do sometimes get matches in your career that are a bit crazy: 4-3 in the last minute, it was good that we got the winner. The three points are the main thing. We had a very month of October with just two points out of nine. We were starting to get nervous and today we needed to give everything to get back to winning ways. The players gave their all, and the substitutes were excellent. Our team has qualities and flaws and we have won four and drawn two of six games at home. We were not beaten at half-time and we had to not get angry. We just needed to play 45 minutes and go out as though it were 0-0. And yet we were 3-2 down. The reaction of the fans was magnificent and they helped us come back.”
Stéphane Moulin (Angers coach): “I was angry at half-time after we conceded two totally avoidable goals. The second half was much better but we scored two own-goals (actually one). That makes it difficult to win a match. I thought we didn’t defend the way we usually do. Were Saint-Etienne partly responsible for that? We were not aggressive enough, a bit too passive. We conceded goals just after scoring, which we don’t usually do. Some of things that happened were bizarre. It is difficult to analyse our matches because there are always good bits that are ruined by other things. If you score three times away from home and lose, it is because you have committed mistakes elsewhere.”
FC Nantes 5-0 EA Guingamp 
Vahid Halilhodžić (Nantes coach): “I am tired but it’s a good tired. I will tell you honestly, I didn’t expect all that. But we have to congratulate everyone who has contributed to this fine run of wins, and especially the players who have accepted my work and who listen. They have been rewarded. We must savour this victory which gives us plenty of hope going forward. But we must also remain humble, take each match as it comes, especially the next one, the derby against Rennes.”
Antoine Kombouaré (Guingamp coach): “What can you say, it was a deserved defeat because we were catastrophic in the second half and there was no fight. I am angry because we were solid and played well in the first half. The penalty hurt us. The players felt it was an injustice and when you are bottom of the table and a bit fragile, it was all we needed. We gave up, gifted them goals. It is a blow, but we are ready, don’t you worry, we are ready to fight until the end and to try to get a very different result next weekend against Lyon.”
Saturday, November 3, 2018
Stade de Reims 1 – 0 AS Monaco 
David Guion (Reims coach): “I wanted a copy and paste of the match we played at Rennes in terms of the attitude and the contents. We did show the same qualities and I am very proud of my players. The first half saw us play to a good tactical level with a lot of character. After we were down to ten men we played for each other and showed a lot of collective discipline. Those aspects are part of our characteristics and values.”
Thierry Henry (Monaco coach): “This defeat is more worrying than the previous ones as we didn’t manage to create a chance. Reims won practically all the 50-50s and played the way you need to when you’re at home. We had the chance to be playing eleven against ten and then we punished ourselves when one of our players got a second yellow card. It’s a difficult situation but there are still a lot of points up for grabs. If a gap builds between us and the teams above us then it will become more difficult.”
RC Strasbourg Alsace 1 – 1 Toulouse FC 
Thierry Laurey (Strasbourg coach): “I expected Toulouse to defend, but there they really took it to the extreme. That’s part of the game. We managed to make the breakthrough but then we switched off for a second and it cost us dearly. We shot 19 times and only hit the target twice. We just need that little bit extra in order to be a bit more precise in the penalty box. Even it if’s only a point, it moves us forward.”
Alain Casanova (Toulouse coach): “This is an important point and the manner in which it was obtained was even more important. The team was courageous and we worked for each other and respected the gameplan. Even though we were led, the team believed in themselves right until the end against opponents that have put good results together. We decided to defend deeper and close off space. I think the result is a fair one.”
SM Caen 1-2 Stade Rennais FC 
Fabien Mercedal (Caen coach): “I thought we started well against a Rennes team superior to us from a technical standpoint. We missed a big chance and that cost us a lot. We know we’re in the midst of a scoring drought and a drought of points and that has seen doubts build. What I can say to everybody and to my players is that we’re not dead and we need to put ourselves in the best possible conditions in order to win the next match.”
Sabri Lamouchi (Rennes coach): “I saw some things that pleased me this evening that we had lost a bit, thinks like fighting spirit and fundamentals. We deserved the win. We could have avoided conceding the goal but the attitude of my players was rewarded and I hope we’ll show the same attitude in the matches to come. We have an important week with a trip to Ukraine and then a derby at home that matters a lot to our supporters.”
Dijon FCO 0-4 Nîmes Olympique 
Olivier Dall’Oglio (Dijon coach): “We conceded the first goal from an individual error. The second came along just afterwards. Psychologically it’s difficult as at the moment we’re not going well. It’s worrying to have lost against a rival for the drop. We’ve lost the battle but not the war. We made too many individual errors and we paid for them. We have a lot of players out but we’re not looking for excuses.”
Bernard Blaquart (Nîmes coach): “It’s a source of satisfaction to have won 4-0 away. We took our chances as we had six or seven of them and scored four goals. We made the most of their mistakes. It was a little bit odd as a match. As we went in front early, it was normal that we sat back and played on the counter. That’s what we did. We played for each other and everybody put in a defensive shift.”
OGC Nice 1 – 0 Amiens SC 
Patrick Vieira (Nice coach): “I’m very happy to have got the three points. We showed our virtues. I enjoyed seeing the team defend well. I thought we were better with five at the back. When you show desire and there’s solidarity then you can look further forward. We create fewer chances than we used to but we won. We have lost too many matches when we’ve played very well.”
Christophe Pélissier (Amiens coach): “We’re very frustrated after this game, just as when we played Nantes. I didn’t see how Nice would score. We had 20 good minutes without taking chances. We were punished when we dipped a bit. In the second half we dominated again but once again didn’t take our chances. My goalkeeper didn’t have anything to do in the game.”
Olympique Lyonnais 1-1 Girondins de Bordeaux 
Bruno Genesio (Lyon coach): “This wasn’t a good result and it wasn’t a good performance. There were almost no satisfactions apart from the good comeback of Nabil Fekir. It’s difficult to find anything that pleased me and it was certainly our worst game for a long time. We did nothing on the ball and nothing without the ball and it’s miraculous that we managed to escape with a point.”
Eric Bédouet (Bordeaux coach): “We had a few chances that would have allowed us to win but we’re also satisfied with the way we played. We were at it from the first minute to the last and we’r progressing. I’ve had another look at the chances and we have a few regrets but we must accept the result. Sometimes we were only ten centimetres off. We were worried about Lyon because we knew they could hurt us at any time and that’s why we were vigilant.”
Friday, November 3, 2018
Paris Saint-Germain 2-1 LOSC Lille 
Thomas Tuchel (PSG coach): “I think it was our best game of the season. It was necessary against that opponent and it’ll also be necessary on Tuesday. Napoli is a different style and it’ll be a very big challenge. The team is confident after a good performance. It was necessary to play with a lot of quality, and we did it. Twelve wins is incredible. Tonight we produced a magnificent performance. The team really enjoyed themselves out there today and it was a great display. We played with pace, with structure and that allowed us to control Lille’s counter-attacks. It was very difficult because I think Lille are one of the best counter-attacking sides in Europe. Congratulations to my team.”
Christophe Galtier (Lille coach): “Paris were really too strong. We only had two or three seconds to breathe. We knew their individual quality, technique and the transitions of this team, and they pushed themselves to press us as soon as they lost the ball. The quality of our opponents meant we were suffocated. We didn’t have any chances, they didn’t give us any hope. We were dominated and were never in the game, we didn’t have opportunities. I rarely saw my forwards facing goal, which goes to show the determination they showed to win the ball back very high up the pitch.”
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