1st Team

Garcia: "We unleashed what we're capable of."

Posted by
Frédéric Rostain
On Friday 20 October 2017 at 12:20

- Was it a perfect night for your team?
"It would have been if we'd kept a clean sheet. It was still a good night because we won. In fact, you could even say it was very good because we were really driven and worked hard for the victory. During the first part of the first half, we were holding back a little, then we really got going. We had one hour and five minutes of top-level football. That enabled us to take the three points."

- This win is good news at the right time, as it comes before Olympique hosts PSG.
"The best news is that there were no injuries. To prepare effectively for Sunday, we had to win today. Everyone in the group matters. Rotation means that everyone can be put under pressure. The players are ready. Now, it's time to recover because we have one day less to do so. That's the disadvantage of playing in the Europa League on a Thursday."

- Even with the turnover, the team put on a brave face.
"The team is competitive, even with some players on the bench and others who weren't on the game sheet. Some players played a lot, others a bit less, and some needed to be prodded into action. As for the central defence, they have less work to do when the rest of the team has the ball, which was clearly the case this evening. The centres can set the tone for the whole match."

- Could this match change your team selection against PSG.
"It's not finished yet. I've got some ideas: I wasn't 100% sure about the team after Strasbourg and I'm still not sure about the team for Sunday. There were two players coming back from a suspension (Ocampos and Gustavo) and they needed to play. I told the players: just because they're on the pitch on Thursday, it doesn't mean they won't be playing on Sunday."

- A word about Evra who went off just under an hour into the match.
"He played when he was ill. He made the effort to play even though he had some physical issues. He was weakened and therefore we chose not to take any risks. I am happy with how he played for that hour, as I am with the rest of the team, the regulars and the beginners."

- Ocampos played a decisive role again...
"He's talented; he can mark the opposition and he can score. He puts a lot into the game and sometimes that's reflected in the way he finishes over the last thirty metres. He needs to structure his game. He's starting to work it out. But he's not the only one: Lopez scored a goal and he had a very good match as well. The players get on well with each other and they all back each other up. There is a collective strength that is helping us to win matches."