Didier Deschamps, who experienced it as a player, knows that this is not the most enjoyable period for his men, but he also know that it is essential in view of a successful season

We left you on the 16th of May after the parade on the Vieux Port. How were your holidays?
Just like the players the manager needs to relax even if they were working holidays. I took time out with my family. But, I did stay in touch and followed most of the World Cup matches. I wasn’t working everyday though, you need to recharge your batteries to kick back off in style.

With the two titles you won, you must have spent the holidays on a cloud …
You appreciate it because things change quickly in football, especially as the season was not easy. It was good that we won the Coupe de la Ligue and wipe out the 17 years of not winning anything. Afterwards winning the title seemed to be the supreme achievement. It is first and foremost a reward for the players and their efforts. In football there is no luck. If we managed to finish first it is because there were good things that happened on and off the pitch.

Last year at the same time OM were at Evian. This time we are in Port-Crouesty. Why the change?
Evian was just fine but we had problems organising the work that has to be done in the first few days. I came here before with Monaco and I knew that we could use the golf course which is completely flat. Evian has more hills, so more difficult to organise this fundamental work.

in football, winning is very difficult and maintaining your level is even harder. The season will be as, if not more, difficult than last year

In what frame of mind are you going into this new period of preparation?
Unfortunately we are without the full squad because of the World Cup. Those players will start back much later than the others. I have a good backbone as the players know each other better. We have to move on. In football, winning is very difficult and maintaining your level is even harder. The season will be as, if not more, difficult than last year and we will be using our second half of last season as a reference, with the same ambition, the same desire and rthe same team spirit with an extra season of life together as a group and a better knowledge of each other under our belts.

Does the fact that you are reigning champions change the way you prepare for the season?
No! Things are pretty much the same. We just need to adapt in view of the players who will arrive late. They will have less holidays and a shorter preparation period. What is important is to have the group ready for the first match of the season. That may be difficult for those who arrive late, but the content, way of working and living will be the same.

The frame of mind and desire are both there, that is the most important.

In what form have you recuperated the players?
They had a long vacation, almost six weeks, even if they weren’t on holiday after the match against Rennes they managed to decompress over the course of the final two matches against Lille and Grenoble. They know they have to do this to prepare the season. The heavy work is not the most enjoyable. We have the right conditions, setting and we are trying to work better in order to prepare them. The frame of mind and desire are both there, that is the most important.

This is a period that the players do not appreciate, is there a speech you have adapted to the preparation period?
No, because not all the players are here. The rules are the same as last year, so I don’t have to speak too much. For some players we need to evacuate the vacation and get them back to their optimum weight, as well as working with a ball. Afterwards we’ll look at the tactical aspect.

Playing time will be split up amongst the squad. If possible we will have everyone play a half.

You have called up a lot of youngsters for this training camp. They are not here just to make up the numbers …
No, most of them were present last season. Some were with the reserves, others have come back from loans. I know them. We are missing six players because of the World Cup, that’s a lot as they are important players in the starting line-up, that makes half of the first team missing, but it gives me a chance to see them play. We’ll see… I’ll cut back after this first training camp. For the second I should have just about the full squad.

The training camp will finish up with a friendly against Vannes. What are you expecting from this first match?
It’s just a conclusion to the camp. Playing time will be split up amongst the squad. If possible we will have everyone play a half. It’s just so that we finish off with a match. Obviously when you play a match it is competitive, the objective is to perform as well as possible and win. You have training with its intensity and you have to transform into a period you play.