Author of a very good performance in an unusual position for him at left back, Ronald Zubar received praise from his manager. He in turn thanked Erik Gerets for believing in him and explains that the news of the manager's departure will not disturb the squad.
Ronald, how has the squad reacted to the announcement that Erik Gerets would be leaving at the end of the season?
We heard that it could disturb the group, but we are professionals and things like that are part of a career. It would be a shame to let ourselves get knocked off course by this with just five matches to go. If we finish champions, it will be thanks to him. We all want to win this title, we want to go and get it for all of the people who believe in us. That’s going to give us even more motivation
The coach was full of praise about your performance against Lille last week …
It’s nice because I hadn’t played for over a month. With a match every three days, I couldn’t really show that I was capable of playing at full back, whether it be on the right or the left, in training. After the elimination against Shakhtar, we had 10 days of training where he was able to try me out in other positions. He saw my potential, even if he already knew it a little anyway. I’m not too bad with my left foot. I was happy to be back out playing and on top of that we won. I’d like to thank the coach, as it is because of him that I am still at OM. He really wanted me to stay. He knows all about my qualities and my weaknesses. He knows how to deal with players, he managed to get the best out of all of us this season, even if we have had some tricky moments.
We all stand up to be counted when called upon "
We get the feeling that the whole squad is involved. The substitutes can make the difference when they are brought on …
What the coach is most proud of is that he has a squad where there are no problems as far as the atmosphere is concerned, there are no players who can destroy the group, his decisions have always been respected. His choices, notably in the second half of matches, have always brought something extra to our play with Hatem Ben Arfa, Bolo Zenden, Mamadou Samassa and many others. It always seems to work. When the team is playing well, it is difficult to change, so you try to grit your teeth and wait for your chance. Afterwards, things change and we all stand up to be counted when called upon.
In the first clash between the clubs this season, OM managed a draw, 0-0, against Toulouse. What do you remember of TFC?
We put in a solid performance, they didn’t manage to knock us about. We were very compact and could have won the match as we had a few chances to score. Toulouse are a very good side. Gignac is very strong, but with Hilton we managed to keep him quiet. The result was fairly logical, one point away from home is a good result. But this time around we are at home, so, we have to win. We will have to be careful as they are a very good team and they didn’t beat Bordeaux or Paris through luck. They have some young and talented players. They can put us under pressure, but we are confident and strong. We’re in first place, we have to play like leaders. At the moment, with our supporters, it feels like there are 12 of us on the pitch, so we aren’t scared at all.
