Lens-OM: Press conference

The replay of the press conference on Twitch

Conrad Jaden Egan-Riley: ‘I'm a sponge’

The season

I came here knowing it was going to be difficult, in a different country. I'm learning every day. I got a red card in my third game. I learn from my mistakes, I'm a sponge. I'm trying to earn my place, but collectively, we're doing things right.

The coach's expectations

I have a lot of conversations with the coach, and with my teammates too. I have a lot of confidence in myself, and the coach has a lot of confidence in me too. I'm not getting as much playing time as I had hoped. The coach's message is to keep working hard. He knows I'm a strong player, and as soon as I step onto the pitch, I have to prove it.

Bouncing back after defeat

Yes, we'll be able to bounce back. We lost a match, but we were on a winning streak. We're playing tomorrow and we have the opportunity to get things back on track.

His life outside football

I'm particularly close to Mason and Angel. I've been made to feel very welcome in the squad. In every club, there are players you get on better with than others. The atmosphere in the dressing room is very good.

Analysis after the defeat

We were disappointed to have lost; we would have preferred to come away with a better result. Tomorrow, we can turn the page. The second half, with 10 men, was difficult, but we fought hard. It's a lesson to be learned; we have to move on to the next match.

More playing time

I'm going to play, I'm 100% sure of that. I've had less playing time, but I've come on in important matches. There's a lot of competition, Ligue 1, the Champions League and the Coupe de France. I'll be able to give 100% on the pitch, and if it's not in this match, it will be in the next one.

OM-Ajax

I was very happy to play in that match. When you don't start, you're ready to come on. I enjoyed that match against a good team. I want to continue to help the team.

Emerson Palmieri's red card

It's difficult to get a red card, like I did against Lyon. We fought for him until the end. He's an experienced player, he's also learning. The team does everything it can to win matches.

Roberto De Zerbi: ‘Robinio Vaz surprises us’

Arthur Vermeeren

He's not lacking anything, he played well against Ajax. With 10 men, I thought we would have had more strength with O'Riley. We're happy with Vermeeren. Hojbjerg is also a great player. There's competition for that position. When I arrived here, he was one of the first names I put on the list. I know him well, he's strong, he'll play a lot of games, he's the present and the future of OM.

Florian Thauvin

He's very strong, I like him a lot. He's scored a lot of goals here. When I was playing, I had the same characteristics. We'll have to be careful, he's a different player from the other RC Lens players.

Bounce back

It's a difficult defeat because we didn't realise we had lost. It was the day and night with the sending off. We could have come away with points. It wasn't a deserved defeat. Lens are a physical team who run a lot. We need to refresh ourselves, knowing what we did well, because in the first half we saw a great team.

Kondogbia and Traoré

They are still unavailable. It will be a little longer for Kondogbia.

Robinio Vaz

I have a soft spot for him. He approaches matches with two qualities: hunger and the desire to improve. He surprises us. We can see his progress. Coming on at 18, at the Orange Vélodrome, is not easy. We're happy. He's often paired with Bakola, and that helps him take his game to the next level too.

Playing with 10 men

I was expecting this question because it's fair to look back on this match and I like to explain. There were five teams in this Champions League matchday that had a player sent off: PSG, Olympiakos, Napoli and Ajax. They all conceded a lot of goals, and we spent half the match with 10 men. This team defends better with 10 men. I took Vermeeren off because O'Riley had given us some quality. I put Garcia on because he attacks deep. I would have liked us to push up a bit more. Unfortunately, I couldn't get my point across; I didn't want the team to sit so deep. I wanted us to defend and press to get shots on goal. Our team has always scored more than the others. Weah is a more offensive player, I like to attack. I'd like us to win every game 5-0. We played with 10 men and it wasn't the same game as in the first half, where we could have scored 3 or 4 more goals. The game changed because of Emerson's carelessness. I didn't want us to just defend in the second half. Against PSG, I wasn't happy with the second half. We're too focused on the result of the match. That's where we need to improve. I'm not infallible, I make mistakes and when I do, I raise my hand. Sporting had two chances in the first half and three in the second for a total of eight shots. Our team defended well, there was no danger. Aubameyang is not a player who brings the team up, he attacks the space. If I could go back, I wouldn't change much.

RC Lens

We play against teams that play like Lens. Real Madrid played one-on-one. Sporting played man-to-man. Football is moving in the direction of Lens' style of play. It's the weight in the duel that makes the difference. We have to look for Lens' weaknesses.

The fear of a painful week

That's a positive question... I expect us to play our best. The supporters shouldn't be sad about the defeat at Sporting. In defeat, we have to think about the first half. It was a real football match with positive responses. The question is leaning towards the negative. We need balance, so that everything isn't rosy when we win, like against PSG.