Ronald Zubar, Wednesday night saw your first friendly game of pre-season, we know that the score is unimportant but what did you get out of the game?
We saw that it was difficult to get the mechanisms going. In the first friendly game, you always want a good personal and team performance, but this year our fitness work has been much more intense than in previous years. We’ve worked very hard in the first two weeks of training, concentrating on stamina work and that is why we played a half each. This first game was really to get us back in the saddle physically and as far as our gameplay went, as we have not worked so much on our gameplay this week. It was difficult, especially as we conceeded two goals right at the start, which didn’t help us out. We lacked lucidity as, from that moment on, everyone tried to play the game his way to try and get a goal back. We can’t forget everything, as there were some good elements. For the next game against Bastia, we’ll have to do as the coach told us and put this game to one side, and get into the game right from the start. We mustn’t forget that the objective for this game was to get us going again and despite all the intense fitness work we have been putting in the mindset in the second half to get back into the game was good.

As you mentioned the fitness work, we know that there is a new fitness coach, Christophe Manouvrier, are you feeling the effects of this different style of preparation?
Of course, you can’t not feel the effects of this preparation. It will allow us to be operational for the start of the season and to keep our levels high as long as possible. Last year we went through some low periods, physically, and that is why the staff are being tougher with us this year.

Do you think you will be fresher on Saturday in the friendly game against Bastia?
Certainly, it’s important to be ready physically by the end of the training camp. I wouldn’t go as far as saying that the score doesn’t count at all, but we have to start integrating the new players and to try and find real cohesion out on the field. Pre-season training is where all that starts. During the friendly games, the important thing is to communicate well so that the team can become competitive and playing in the same way. In order to do that, we will have to work against a good Bastia side, this time round we’ll try and get the result as well. It’s important to win these games after having worked so hard.

Next week you will be starting a training camp in Evian, the only one of pre-season. You will be able to work as a complete group, consolidate the team spirit and make the new players adaptation that much easier?
Yes. This training camp wil not only allow us to welcome the new recruits and put them in the best possible circumstances, but also work on the small details concerning the squad. On top of that , the entire squad will be present in preparation for the new season, as the international players will be back from their respective countries. It will be a camp just how we like them …

To finish, the climate in Evian will be much more agreeable than the furnace of Marseille, the bodies will be less tired?
Yes. The cooler climate will do us a lot of good, as since we started pre-season training it has been boiling all the time and we’re a bit sick of it. Despite the high temperatures we’ve managed to work well, with good team spirit and by helping each other out.