The OM defender particularly appreciates his understanding on the pitch with his partner in the centre of defence, Hilton. He does know, however, that they will have a tough time on Saturday in Bordeaux.
Ronald, how are the sessions at the Commanderie going?
Iwe have some rest as we needed it, I guess in all the other clubs it’s the same case. We put in a lot of hard work last week. That allows us to stay at peak fitness and be ready for the week that we have coming up.
Put together for the match against Brann, the central defensive partnership of Hilton and Zubar has been particularly watertight in the games since. With these two players, OM have kept three consecutive clean sheets (against Brann, Auxerre and Le Havre). The only goal conceded came against Brann at the Vélodrome (2-1). Against Sochaux (2-1) Zubar was suspended.
How are you preparing for the game against Bordeaux, are you worried?
There is no apprehension, we’re really looking forward to the game. We’ve played well in all of our games so far, but there are still some defensive problems that need to be sorted out. We concede too many goals that could easily be avoided. We have to work on that as Bordeaux, who lost their last game against Lille (2-1), will be looking to make up for that and will want to beat us. They always want to anyway, last year we got a draw (2-2) but personally I haven’t gotten over it. We were up 2-0, and thought we had the game in the bag but they managed to come back. It’s been 31 years since OM last won in Bordeaux, that’s long enough. We will be focusing so that we can go there with a winning mentality.
How are you getting on with Hilton in the centre of defence?
It’s going really well. Vito has a lot of experience and is such a nice guy that you have to listen to him. I always listen to the older players as I want to progress. On top of that, Vito is an elegant player who brings a bit of class onto the field. I often say to him that I have to work on my technique so that I don’t look like an idiot next to him! No, it’s really going well, we talk a lot during training and in games. It helps us out on the field and he is open to advice despite his experience. It’s working well, let’s hope it continues.
