OM-TFC: Press conference

replay of the press conference on Twitch

Leonardo Balerdi: ‘The players want to fight for OM’

Facundo Medina

I spoke with him yesterday, he's feeling better, he's in less pain. He's smiling, which is good for him and the team. He looks good, he feels good, he told me so yesterday.

Coming back after injury

I wanted to come back against Atalanta, but the calf is complicated. That's why I came back against Nice. I needed playing time, I need to work with the team on the pitch. I feel better.

The game

Right now, we're doing well. The coach has brought order to the pitch, the positions are well established. We work every day. When there's a lack of order on the pitch, you can see it.

Darryl Bakola

He's a young player I like. He listens, he learns, he has a lot of qualities and self-confidence. That's important for playing here. If he continues like this, he can bring us a lot. He's another option for the coach.

The current squad

It's one of the best since I've been in the dressing room. We all have the same goal, the same mentality. The players want to fight for OM, to achieve something. If there are more players with this mentality, everything will be easier. There are a lot of qualities and good people.

A more open championship

We must always believe. We must stay at the top until the last match. This year, there are a lot of teams in contention, it's more even. Paris is strong, but we must focus on ourselves. If we start thinking, doing calculations, we'll lose our way. We're going to focus on Toulouse. They're a good team, even if they're tenth. L1 is difficult; no team is easy to play against.

A more relaxed team

We are a mature team. If we can maintain that maturity, it will help us have a good season. Among ourselves, we need to keep that emotion, stay calm to go further.

The fourth jersey

For us, it doesn't change much. We look at the logo and regardless of the colour, we have to win. For the supporters, it's special. For us, it's the same. We wear the OM jersey, we have to give it our all and win.

The Champions League

It was important to win against Newcastle. Otherwise, it would have been difficult. Now we're in a good position. The next match will be important; if we win, we'll have 9 points. We want to go as far as possible. I'd like us to win the next away match, that would give us some peace of mind.

The fervour at home

At the stadium, if you give 100%, they push you to win. The stadium is behind you and it's easier to win. When you're at home, it's different, you want to give your all, to win.

Geronimo Rulli

He continues to surprise me. I didn't know much about his footwork. He can be like a centre-back, which is good for us because we have an extra player to bring the ball out. We can bring the ball out cleanly for the forwards.

The ‘Chi Siamo’

Yes, we always do it. We shout it louder with every match.

His position

I don't have a problem with it, it depends on my teammate in defence. I've played more on the left than on the right. Sometimes, with my left foot, it's harder to find a long pass. But even if the coach asks me to play goalkeeper... I defend differently if we play with three or four.

Roberto De Zerbi: ‘Tomorrow's game is a trap.’

The quality of the game

Conte Nice, I wasn't satisfied with the game, against Newcastle, I was happy but we can do better. Football is going in one direction, putting strong pressure on the opponent. We have to manage to maintain order in the lines on the pitch. We have to find the time to attack, find the spaces to attack. We create the conditions to create chances. In the first chance against Nice, we had everything: we drew the pressure and created depth. Against Newcastle, they opened the scoring quickly and then played deep, but we had chances to score. In the first half, we could have scored. I was happier against Newcastle.

Lots of goals at home

At home, we play with extra players. Away too, but at home there's a different kind of magic. The players are happy to play at home, which is good for the manager.

The match against Newcastle

It can bring us enthusiasm and self-esteem. This team can be competitive in the Champions League. Here, we have to keep our eyes open. Tomorrow is a tricky match, but after Tuesday night's joy and enthusiasm, we have to play a great game tomorrow so we don't go from enthusiasm to depression.

The state of the troops

Nayef Aguerd should be back in the squad. That's good news. A lot of players have played a lot lately, so I need to see the medical staff to find out how they're doing. Getting Nayef Aguerd back is very important for us.

Team line-ups

I have a starting eleven in my head, twelve or thirteen. I have seven or eight players who, when they're fit, play. You can guess who they are. I've changed three players. I want to be able to give my players continuity. Angel Gomes had a good game in Nice, but it was Darryl Bakola who played against Newcastle. The players find a connection between themselves during training when they're not playing together in matches.

Darryl Bakola

I didn't sleep for two nights before Newcastle when I was told that Aguerd wouldn't be able to play. I thought about my team selection. Gomes? Bakola? I chose the simplest solution. Bakola is improving and he deserves to play, regardless of his age. If the manager is afraid, he keeps putting it off. I watched the whole training session and he deserved to play. If we had been playing away, he wouldn't have played because the stadium likes young players.

Arthur Vermeeren

I'm not inflexible. He's my ideal midfielder for the way I want to play. He needs to be competitive, I've spoken to him. He'll be part of the rotation; he's run almost 25 kilometres in two matches. He needs this season at Marseille. He's becoming a real player for us. You don't find players of this quality on every street corner.

Geoffrey Kondogbia

Kondogbia is very important to us. Two days ago, we trained intensely. He had a day off yesterday. He needs to rest sometimes. We can't lose him again until March. When you have a lot of problems, you have to find continuity. We plan the intensity.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

He felt good, he was in good shape. He will be part of the rotation. When a striker scores goals and feels good, we manage the pace and the workload. He can play tomorrow.

Darryl Bakola's qualities

He has incredible physical impact. We still need to understand what he will be like when he is 22-23. He has played as an attacking midfielder but he can play more defensively. He is physically exuberant, he has improved technically and in his understanding of football. We are all happy.

The Africa Cup of Nations

I'm not sure about anything. I'm waiting to find out. It's important that it's consistent. I don't know why the match against Union SG is at risk. I read about it, but I don't understand why. We have injured players, and they are important players for us.