The 124th derby in history between ASSE and Olympique Lyonnais. The Greens must win on the lawn of Groupama Stadium to launch the maintenance operation and for the supporters. The derby, the transfer window on the menu of our interview with Samuel Rustem.
France Bleu Saint-Etienne Loire: You have been part of the trio that manages operations at ASSE for a few weeks, with Jean-François Soucasse and Loïc Perrin. What is your part ?
Samuel Rustem, Deputy General Manager of AS Saint-Etienne : It’s a big implication. The task is simple, it is to make sure that everything goes well. It is a coordination between the administrative management and the sports management. As well as a general coordination at the level of the various services so that the collective performance is at the rendezvous.
It’s derby day. This ASSE there is ready to fight a big battle tonight against Olympique Lyonnais?
Of course as with all games. We are always ready to fight a great battle. We are not going to the field to simply do what is necessary. We go there to win games. This is the daily life of all players. It’s the daily life of the coach, of the work we do with Jean-François Soucasse, with Loïc Perrin, with Pascal Dupraz, with all the people who evolve within the club. A daily newspaper that aims to be efficient both in the field and in the office.
What do you want to say to the supporters this morning a few hours before this derby?
Everyone knows what a derby is. Whether it’s with a gauge at 5,000, whether it’s behind closed doors, whether it’s at 50,000. Everyone has prepared it. Everyone is doing everything to make it happen in the best conditions. The work pays off and now we are waiting for 9 p.m., the kick-off, to show that everyone is ready.
On the transfer window, Eliaquim Mangala signed up yesterday for six months. A centre-back who hasn’t played a full game in over a year. Is it a bet?
Beyond a bet, he is a player who has proven himself. He is an international level player. He’s there. He is ready. He wanted to come to AS Saint-Etienne. He wanted to come to the greens, to a club with a great history. He wanted to be part of this story. He passed many physical tests. Beyond the mercato aspect, he is a defender who wants to prove a lot of things. He will be available to the club since he will be qualified at the end of the week for the next matches. On the transfer window we worked a lot with Jean-François and Loïc. We also had the means available from the shareholders, which today allows us to be able to position ourselves with ambition so that the objective can be achieved, the team is competitive and maintenance is obtained.
An attacker is expected. Matata Guirassy are names that we can forget or we can still believe in them?
We don’t forget anything. We continue to work. We will see what will happen in the next few days. We have the means to try to implement the best possible strategy in the collective interest. We love greens, we do everything. We do our best to get there.