Rested against Lens, Laurent Bonnart will be back on his right flank on Saturday at Louis II. Against Monaco, the former Le Mans player wants to see OM continue the good form which started against Valenciennes.
OM and Monaco have the same number of points in the league. This match is going to be a six-pointer?
They are a rival. We’re trying to take points where we can in order to climb up the table. Our objective, as always, is to take all three points. We know that it is going to be difficult, they are a very good side. They proved that at the Vélodrome against us and on a number of occasions in the L1, or against Bordeaux in the Cup where they put in a very good performance. It’s going to be a tough match, but it depends on us as well, if we have the same frame of mind then I hope that our individual and collective quality will make the difference.
As a defender, you will be up against the league’s top scorer, Nenê. How can you stop someone who dribble’s like him without resorting to fouls?
At one point we will have to commit fouls. That’s just how it is, we will have to stop their actions. We will have to win our duels and compensate for the quality of their players with a solid defensive block. That will give them fewer opportunities and fewer choices. But, there will not just be Nenê to look out for. There whole team is in good form. It’s up to us to put in a good performance.
It is well known that Nenê is lethal from set pieces. Will you have to be more vigilant against a player like him?
Fouls are part of the game. In and around the box we will have to be careful and avoid conceding too many set pieces. That doesn’t mean we will let them through on goal, or past us to play in crosses. We will have to be intelligent and wily. In the heat of the moment, you react. But we will really have to be careful. The best thing would be for us to have more possession than them, which would help us avoid a lot of problems.
Bordeaux have come to a slight halt with two consecutive defeats. Has that remotivated you?
We are focusing on our performances! We have proven to ourselves that we were capable of getting results. It’s up to us to continue, to win and make up for the poorer performances that we have put in over the last six months. Bordeaux have a large lead. We cannot concentrate on them, our performances are what is important. We can still progress a great deal. We saw on Wednesday night that the balance in the team was still fragile, we have to remain vigilant and be very concentrated and disciplined in what we do. We have great rhythm and we need to put everything that we can on our side.
