Championship Priority While Waiting for April 22nd. Frédéric Antonetti wants to stop discussing the victory against Monaco. The important thing is the match against Le Mans, then Saint-Etienne… However, he revisits the 88th minute, the performance of Hugo Lloris. Words from the Gym’s coach.
Nice-Première: How is the team handling this qualification for the league cup final? Are the players too focused on April 22nd? And how are you approaching the match against Le Mans with the negative point being injuries?
Frédéric Antonetti: We are handling the situation well. We’ve shifted our focus to the championship and I would like everyone in the environment to do the same. The final is in two and a half months. Right now, there’s the championship and you know that’s the priority. We want to perform well and ensure we continue our progress. It’s about being able to perform well three days after a high-level, intense match. We have some injury issues. We’ve been playing almost a match every three days, and some players have played in all the matches. We will play without Bagayoko, Rod Fanni, and Cyril Rool. Those who replace them need to perform well.
N-P: What happened in the 88th minute when from the bench you saw Roudet go past Maicon and center for Ederson? What did you feel?
FA: I felt nothing particular, I was checking how much time was left, we had two injured on the field, we were down to nine players at that point. I think we needed to hold the result and it’s very good that we scored because if it had gone to extra time, we would have been eliminated.
N-P: Do you remember the first thing you did at the final whistle?
FA: I think I raised my arms.
N-P: Going back to before the match, was there a change in preparation? Were players relaxed or did they show some tension? Was it a match like any other?
FA: You can’t say it was a match like any other. We experienced the pre-match normally. It’s mostly the environment that makes it different. It’s a derby, a semi-final, a match of high emotions, pressures, and intensities. But the pre-match was normal.
N-P: David Bellion mentioned in the post-match declarations that they had received specific tactical instructions not to expose themselves too much and “press like crazy,” but rather to let Monaco play. Explain this instruction.
FA: For every match, I give specific instructions and a game plan like any coach. We try to look at the strengths and weaknesses of the opponent. Then, we make sure to inform the players about what might happen.
“They impressed me”
N-P: Did you have a preference between Nancy and Le Mans? How do you assess this team from Lorraine?
FA: I had no preference. And as I told you, it’s not us, the players and the staff, who are thinking about the finale. It’s you, I see it in your questions, you only talk about that. What interests me is Le Mans, then Saint Etienne and Monaco in the championship.
N-P: Talking about the championship… The next three matches are decisive and could enable OGC Nice to aim for the top of the L1 table.
FA: We shouldn’t be presumptuous and take one match at a time. We have a tough match tomorrow; it needs to be well handled. After that, we’ll move on to the match on Tuesday and then Saturday. These are important matches. What we want to do is continue our progress to perform well in the championship. Every match is important. Le Mans is a good team, very strong at home with good players. They will be seeking revenge for the lost semi-final. I expect a tough match.
N-P: And Saint Etienne?
FA: We have time to talk about it. I haven’t focused on the match at Saint Etienne yet. We’ll have to see who we can recover from injuries and the condition of the selected players. We need to wait for the match against Le Mans to be able to pronounce on the meeting at Geoffroy-Guichard.
N-P: This victory against Monaco was a collective victory to which Cédric Varrault, Baky Koné, and Souleymane Camara must be associated, but I would like you to focus on the performance of Hugo Lloris. It seemed like he had ten years of professional football behind him.
FA: We decided to have him play in the cups to toughen him up and gradually bring him to the L1 level. That’s what he is doing because he has qualities. This morning I told him to be mindful of the environment. After the match against Brest, everyone had written him off. He’s a young goalkeeper, he might have off days, but he had a great match this time, good for him, good for us. One must live normally with failures and good performances. It’s part of the learning process.
N-P: Can you define with an adjective or a word the other participants of the match?
FA: It’s the victory of a group, a team, a collective victory. They impressed me. They reached a very high level to get through. Monaco had set the bar very high. It was a very intense, very physical, very tactical match. We had to resist at times with courage and solidarity.
N-P: “Frédéric Antonetti is OGC Nice’s best recruit.” These are the words of Maurice Cohen, your president. Any comments?
FA: I thank him. It’s very pleasing to hear that.
N-P: Are you attached to the city of Nice? In the past 8 months, what events have marked you, what have you followed particularly? And which historical figures do you know of from this city?
FA: It’s mostly the meeting with Roger Ricort and the club’s shareholders, the president who decided I should come here. I’m 44 years old, and being passionate about football in the 70’s, I knew it was a true football city. With my job, I don’t have much time for many things. It’s a pleasant city. You eat well there. There are good restaurants.
N-P: The Nice supporters are currently thinking about the name of the new stadium… In our survey on Nice-premiere, Garibaldi is in the lead, what do you think? Do you have a preference?
FA: I don’t have a say in it, I think the choice that Niçois will make will be the right one. It’s up to the Niçois to choose.
N-P: Stade Frédéric Antonetti?
FA: That’s impossible. That’s nonsense!
N-P: It was a joke…
FA: I take it as such.