The frustration of the draw in Nice
evacuated, FC Nantes is preparing to play a crucial match, this Thursday against Qarabag, in the race for second place in their Europa League group. Present at a press conference, defender Andrei Girotto wants to believe in the lucky stars of the Canaries to continue to climb the slope and win a second victory at La Beaujoire
. He calls on his teammates to rely on a newfound defense and state of mind in order to take revenge on the Azerbaijani club that swept them in the first leg
. Maintenance.
“We have to find this solidity, this winning spirit”
Do you consider the match against Qarabag as a final for second place?
It’s a very important match because we play a lot of things. He is an opponent against whom we lost in the first leg [3-0, ndlr] so at home you have to win to hope for a good ranking. We’re going to play the best match possible, I think matches at home have to be won. The classification will be the consequence of what we are going to do. But we must already concentrate on this match.
Is it a rematch of the first leg?
I think we had a good first half but we didn’t have a good game over time and on one of our weak times, in the second half, we conceded two very quick goals. But at home, we have everything to play a great match, to win, in front of our supporters.
In what state of mind do you approach this meeting?
We have to find this solidity, this winning spirit. We did it against Brest
and we tried to continue in Nice, unfortunately we lost two points at the end. The mentality is there and we must continue on this path now to tackle the next matches.
Is the match in Nice a click?
It’s been a while since we had a good away game and in Nice we did everything to win the game. It didn’t play out much but you have to forget it, rely on the good things produced to win the next one.
We all have to do a little more to have the possibility of winning without conceding a goal.
Do you have more guarantees in defense since the meeting against Brest?
Defensive solidity is very important for a team. When we don’t concede a goal, it gives us the possibility of winning and then we begin to regain the solidity we had last year. We have to continue on this path and stay very focused. Scoring goals is the consequence of a good defense.
How do you explain being the best interceptor in Ligue 1?
[Antoine Kombouaré le coupe : “Il faut croire que ça ne suffit pas (rire)“]. I give my maximum and we all have to do a little more to have the possibility of winning without conceding a goal. I’m happy in defense before I preferred to be in the middle but there, today, I feel more comfortable in defense and I hope to continue to make good matches. Afterwards, playing midfield helped me a lot in terms of placement, especially in terms of the sensitivity of anticipation, to know where the ball is going to land.
After scoring six goals last season, do you feel more watched from set pieces?
I’m putting some pressure on myself to start scoring again. I know my job is to defend well but if I can help my teammates by scoring, I’m not going to deprive myself. It can unlock situations in the game. But in Ligue 1, I find that the marking is tighter on me and it’s up to me to find the solution.