“The atmosphere is very good. We know we got a good result against an excellent Auxerre on Saturday, they weren’t leading the league by chance. At the same time, the win came at a cost because we lost Greg Coupet. This sort of thing happens during a season and we’re ready to take on this extra challenge as a squad.”
It’s the latest in a long line of injuries this season...
“It’s a problem that all coaches experience, like at Toulouse with the injury to Yohann Pelé. We have had our fair share with Erding and Hoarau, both major players. The main thing is that we have the players to cover these absences. Maybe the defenders were a little too comfortable with Greg behind as well and now they’ll concentrate even more. The whole team has to work hard to ensure that his absence doesn’t become an enormous handicap.”
How is Edel preparing himself?
“Edel has already received plenty of support, particularly from within the squad, but there’s no point carrying on either. He’s not a child. He’s got plenty of guts and has already been around a bit. He’s already played here, in Europe as well! There won’t be any surprises about his quality.”
The youngster Alphonse Areola (16yrs) at training... does that mean he is the new replacement ‘keeper?
“My priority is to be able to count on a number one and a number two. Now, my job is also to anticipate what could possibly happen if Edel or Grondin take a knock. From that point of view, it was important to see Alphonse in training and see where he was up to.”
How are you approaching Wednesday’s game against Boulogne-sur-Mer?
“I said before the last Saturday’s match that the game against Boulogne would only be worth playing if we were capable of beating Auxerre. This game is now important for the team to climb back into the top half of the table. When you are PSG, the aim is always to avoid finding yourself in the bottom half of the table. That’s not exactly shooting for the stars, but we’ll take it one step at a time.”
This trip to Boulogne, is it not a potential trap for your side?
« Boulogne has nothing to lose and will be going all out for the win. We also know that the conditions won’t be ideal there. We know how it was when we beat them 1-0 in the League Cup earlier this year. It’s going to be a very tough game. Victory is not a certainty, absolutely not. It could be a really dangerous game for us tomorrow.”
