FBBP-OM: The press conference

replay of the press conference on Twitch

Jeffrey De Lange: ‘Frustration turns into motivation’

Playing time

It's not that difficult to stay focused because I train every day. I'm ready all the time. There's always a chance I'll play.

Being ready when needed

It's not the easiest thing because everyone wants to play, but that's also how I stay focused. We push each other as goalkeepers. I train at the highest level. I stay calm and that's how I stay focused.

Competition between goalkeepers

That's exactly how it is. We stick together as goalkeepers, we feel like a family. I have a very good relationship with Rulli. We both want to play. When he has a good game, I'm happy, and vice versa. We don't compete against each other.

A deal with the coach

It's not an agreement with the coach. He decides, maybe it's a coincidence. Maybe it's better after Rulli's long trips. Nothing is decided in advance.

Playing with my feet

Obviously, I like it, that's why I'm here. The coach likes it, he wants to play that way. He has the vision of the game that I like. I like to play football that way and he expects that from his players.

Frustration

I talk about it a lot. I became a father nine months ago. I feel frustrated, but as soon as I get home, it goes away when I see my baby. At this level, you need two good goalkeepers. Rulli has saved the team so many times, I'm not stupid. Frustration turns into motivation.

The Coupe de France

I'm not sure if I'll play... It's a possibility, we don't know the line-up. The Cup is an important goal, the whole team is motivated. Last year, it ended in a penalty shoot-out. We want to get our revenge this year and go further.

The pressure

I don't feel that pressure. I'm just enjoying myself. It's not a burden on my shoulders, I'm enjoying the moment. Against Nice, it went very well, it was a good moment.

Finishing the season here

You never know. I want to stay because I'm happy here. You can't make promises. I'm happy here, I want to stay, but in football, you never know.

Role in the dressing room

It suits my character, I get on well with a lot of players, I talk to everyone. I'm young but experienced. I like talking to my teammates. I speak up even if I'm not the loudest. Working in a nice environment is beneficial, it creates something good.

Strengths

That's where it all starts. You have to stop goals. My best quality is protecting the goal with my hands, but I've started playing with my feet. I'm good with words, organising the game.

A match against a lower division team

The Cup is a very good tournament and an opportunity to win something. We're motivated, regardless of the opponent's division. I'd rather go home for the holidays with a win than the bitter taste of defeat.

Training sessions

With this coach, everyone works the same way. We all know what we have to do on match day. We know what he expects from us. It's not a problem to adapt.

The match in Nice

It was an important, great match for me where I was able to show what I'm capable of. Against Lorient, I had the record for the fewest number of touches. Sometimes there are matches where I don't have much to do. Against Nice, it was a good match, but I've analysed it and I have room for improvement. Stay humble and focused

Penalty kicks

We always practise penalty kicks after training, we do it for fun. I like penalty kicks. It's difficult because a penalty kick leads to a goal, but as a goalkeeper you have a role to play.

Roberto De Zerbi: ‘It's a dangerous match’

A clarification

You don't always tell the truth. Last year, it was said that I had lost the dressing room and the film was released. I have never lost the dressing room, I will never lose it because I am a good person. There is no Balerdi case. He was on the bench, it was my choice, but he is and remains the captain of OM. I push him to improve. He has always been well-behaved with me, the players respect me. A lot of what is said or written is not true. You then have to think about why all this is being done, there are bad intentions behind it. I accept criticism of the results, but not things done just to cause a stir.

The goalkeepers

It's a mess for me. When you have two such strong players, it's difficult because only one can play. Rulli is having a good season and De Lange deserves to play because when he plays, he's good. If he starts the cup, he'll continue. De Lange needs to know that we have confidence in him. We chose him. Medhi and I really wanted him.

The turnover

We're really looking forward to Sunday's match. It's a dangerous game. Bilbao struggled, Villarreal were knocked out of the cup by Alaves. We're going with the best team, the one I see in training. Aubameyang won't be there, so we'll see who plays up front: Vaz, Greenwood or Maupay. We'll play with the best team. Sunday's danger is greater for the young players than the experienced ones. We've had a week to recover and work. We're all fresh to play, we also need to have a clear head.

Facundo Medina and Hamed Traoré

Both will be travelling. They are available and will be on the bench. That's good news. They are important. Medina brings bravery, which we lack, as well as positive madness and nastiness. With him, we wouldn't have conceded the goal against TFC. With Traoré, he's an option to give Paixao and Greenwood a breather.

The mental aspect

We've had difficult moments during some matches, but we've also had some interesting moments of play. We can improve a lot in our play and in our defensive solidity. These are things that keep me awake at night; I want us to always be perfect. Against ASM, they didn't come into our half for the first 28 minutes. In Brussels, we conceded a goal early on, but then we didn't see the opposition. Monaco are a strong team who mainly played on the counter-attack. That's not just my opinion, it's backed up by the statistics. Apart from Monaco's second goal, which was disallowed, all their attacks were counter-attacks. Everything that's been said about the match against Monaco isn't true. Sometimes we don't play to OM's standard. But to say that the result against Monaco was unexpected? No!

Jeffrey De Lange

There's a bit of bad luck because Rulli does great things. They're different. They make good saves, Rulli is more experienced. Jeffrey is younger. We can count on both of them. It's rare to have two such good goalkeepers.

Short passes

I like it because we talk more about tactics. It depends on how the opponent presses. There's a lot of pressing in Europe, so the only free player is the goalkeeper. At the beginning, we didn't go one-on-one, man-to-man. We didn't work on that much with Aguerd and Emerson. We didn't have time, even though it's an important phase for the team. We need to work on situations because they change and the solutions change too.

The transfer window

Since the start of last season, we've done everything together. We approach the transfer window together, we did it last summer and we'll do it in January. Beyond the economic aspects, we've created a strong team that, without absences or injuries, can do even better.

Playing the next two matches in the afternoon

It depends. You always have to be ready, even at 4 a.m. It changes the routine of the day. Strong teams don't worry about the schedule. We leave the day before, but that doesn't change anything in terms of the game.

I liked playing in the afternoon and evening. For the fans, the afternoon is good. It's easier for families.