Salim, you spent you holidays getting treatment on your knee. How is it now?
Good. It went well though I didn’t get much of a holiday. But I did a bit of preparation after the last league match of last season with a physical trainer to reinforce my thigh and now I’m feeling better and better.

How did you feel in the friendly matches?
I felt rather good. Physically, I’m well and most importantly I’ve been freed up mentally. In these friendlies, I just wanted to get back into shape. There are some people at the club who knew me from my time at Strasbourg and it’s true it’s been hard getting back to form. With an injury like the one I had (ruptured cruciate ligaments) everyone knows it takes a bit longer to recover. Today I’m getting all the old feeling back. The staff and the new members of the medical team are taking great care of me.

Competition for places looks to hotter than ever this season…
That’s a good thing. We’re in several competitions, including the Champions League, and everyone will get a chance to play, like Albert Emon said. Our rivalry with Lyon makes us improve. So I hope we do just as well as Lyon, if not better…

140 minutes’ action in 2007-08
Arriving in the winter transfer window, Salim Arrache has taken part in 5 L1 games with OM for a total of 28 minutes of game time.
During the current pre-season, he has played 3 friendly matches. He started the match against Libourne St Seurin. He has already racked up 140 minutes of game time this season.