Held back by an injury and a virus at the beginning of the season, Samir Nasri showed against Metz that he is back to his best form – a real positive for OM ahead of the midweek away game against Besiktas.
This win over Metz means a lot for the club…
It was crucial not to break the dynamic after the good result against Lyon. Despite the international break between the two games, we managed to managed to keep our idea clear in our minds. And the result aside, the important thing was to keep the dynamic going. The league is a tight affair but we’re on the right track, although we’re not out of the woods yet.
You wore the captain’s arm band for the final 15 minutes…
I’m really proud. It was also about being the club’s longest-serving player on the field. It’s extra-special for me because I’m a native of Marseille, but that’s not what I’ll take from this match, the most important thing is the win and the consolidation of our good result against Lyon.
You seemed to be fresher against Metz…
The training with the France team did me a lot of good. I made the most of it by working on my explosivity, something I felt I was lacking. On Saturday, I got my touch back. It’s also because I’m racking up the game time. All of this makes me feel better and better.
You made two assists tonight…
It’s good for the morale, but I could have scored one, too. It’s good for my confidence and for the team.
Talk us through your two assists for Mamadou Niang…
For the first goal, it was obvious I should pass him the ball because I had several defenders in front of me. For the second, he was in a better position than I was and had more chances of scoring as I had been pushed wide.
What stopped you from scoring on Saturday night against Metz?
I rushed my shot. With France against Morocco, I was 20 metres out and didn’t think twice, whereas this time I procrastinated, wondering what the defender would do. I need to be clearer in these situations and maintain my composure. With Les Bleus I’m more lucid, with OM I think too much. It’s a detail I plan to address in the near future.
The Niang-Nasri-Valbuena partnership worked well…
I’m used to playing with Mamadou. It’s been that way for years and we get along well off the pitch, which helps on the pitch. With Mathieu, I also have a good understanding on the field, because he makes things happen. He used to dribble a lot, but now he stops, knocks it and moves on. When there’s movement, it’s easier for everyone.
Mamadou Niang is having what might be his best start to a season…
Even last year he was really strong – he had the most goals and most assist at the club. He didn’t get the recognition he deserves but he’s a key player for OM. He’s fast, he can dribble, he can hold possession with his back to goal – he’s a modern attacker. I like playing with him especially because he complements my game, allowing me to go further ahead.
OM seems to be gathering pace…
That was one of the manager’s instructions. We wanted to play faster because at home we have impose our rhythm to take control of matches against compact, defensive sides. If we pass quickly, we can cause them problems and so if the defensive midfielders play one- or two-touch football, we’ll have more balls up forward to attack with.
What did Eric Gerets say to you after the match?
He’s a perfectionist and told us that at 3-0, we should have kept pushing to score because goal difference can play an important role at the end of the season. It’s good to always keep us under a certain amount of pressure, it prevents you from slacking off. It’s especially important considering the matches we have coming up.
Indeed, you have a tough match ahead of you on Wednesday in Istanbul…
Eric Gerets told us the atmosphere in Turkey is unforgettable. Good, I like that kind of game. We want to qualify and that means beating Besiktas. So we’ll go there with our ambitions in mind and it doesn’t really matter what the atmosphere is like, or how hostile the home fans are; we’ll be there to get a result.
In light of the home match against Besiktas, do you think the Turks are within OM’s reach?
We’ll have to do even more because in the first match, we were playing in front of our own fans and still it took a long while to win the match. On their turf, they are a dangerous side with ardent supporters. It’ll be tough; Liverpool lost there and Porto won only in the last seconds. We’ll have to be really serious and not be content with what we did in the first match, because they are a strong technical side. They have quite a few South Americans and they’re grafters, and on the wings they move it really fast, but we’ll just have to imposes our game.
When you look at the Group A table, Besiktas would appear to be the weakest team…
Yes, but we mustn’t underestimate them because they still have a chance to qualify for the knockout phase.
