OM-Nantes: Press conference

replay of the press conference on Twitch

Facundo Medina: ‘I want to win every match’

His return

That's football, that's life. I'm always positive. I would have liked to come back for the French Cup match, but we can't take any risks. My family is with me, and that's the most important thing.

Centre or left?

You'll have to ask the coach. Centre or full-back, I do my best for the club and the team. Even on the right or as a goalkeeper! You have to play and win, that's the most important thing.

The objectives in January

I want to win every game. We have an important month ahead of us. Physically and mentally, it's going to be tough. In football, you can win, play badly, make mistakes. You have to take it one game at a time.

Positioning

It's pretty much the same, but it also depends on the opponent. All the players here are capable of doing that. There's experience. All the players give 100% for the team.

Areas for improvement

There are always things to improve. But I'm keeping the team spirit up. The atmosphere and motivation are good. There are a lot of matches and fatigue. The ambition is there, we have to keep that too. We need the ingredients to raise the club. I was focused on my recovery and it was hard for me. I want to help everyone, not just the player next to me. You have to be 100% all the time.

The opponent, FC Nantes

It's a different game. Every team, regardless of their ranking, plays at 200% against OM. We're going to prepare ourselves, there are three points to be won at home, in front of our fans.

The return match

The break was good for spending time with the family. We're professionals, we pay attention to everything. The second half of the season is going to be tougher. We enjoyed ourselves, but we also trained well.

The selection

Fear? I don't know if that's the right word. There are still four to five months left to play. We're going to prepare ourselves mentally and physically. If I can go to the World Cup, that's great. If I'm not called up, I'll be the country's number one supporter.

The Champions Trophy

This match is just as important as any other. We want to win. I would have liked our supporters to be there with us. We'll do everything we can to bring the trophy home.

The World Cup at the end of the season

Subconsciously, it plays a part. But there's a match on Sunday and I can't think about a competition five months from now. What matters is the present moment. This is my first long-term injury. I'm 26 years old and I've gained experience. We're thinking about the World Cup, but we have a final to play in a week's time. My ankle isn't hurting anymore.

La grinta

We play every three days, so we're tired. If I had been there... I don't know, it's difficult. The coach is crazy sometimes.

Roberto De Zerbi: ‘Getting off to a good start will be important.’

The squad

Only Nayef Aguerd is missing. We talk a lot on the phone, I hope he has a good Africa Cup of Nations, we're supporting him. Gouiri, Medina and Traoré are here. I'm happy. Aubameyang is in good shape. Things didn't go well for Gabon, but it's good to have him in the squad.

The restart

We've worked well. We don't need to do anything new, we just need to do better. We don't need to change everything, it's time to improve. The players have worked well, they've come back in great shape.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

Yes, he could play. The criticism comes from Gabon, we've never criticised him. He's an exceptional player, you can't criticise the man. He left injured, we sent a physio to treat him there.

Training

We changed the routine with two separate groups. We mixed the players, those who played a lot and those who had less playing time. We also called up some young players from the academy. With time, we would have done things differently. This team is very strong, but we haven't trained much. From Lorient to Monaco, we never had time to train. We need to improve our game by being better against teams that play a low block. That's our daily work.

The Champions Trophy

My opinion remains the same. That's my opinion. The Super Cup should be played in the country, in front of the fans. We are proud to play this match. We will be very well received. It's not a problem compared to Kuwait.

Areas for improvement

We can improve in terms of ball retention. We lose the ball too easily. In terms of finishing, we can't ask any more of them. We have important returns with Gouiri and Traoré. Weah can play higher up the pitch.

Facundo Medina

For him too, it depends. His position in defence changes. When we have the ball, he plays in the centre on the left. I prefer to see him on the pitch; we need him and his crazy peroxide hair.

A title

One of the main objectives would be to win a title. We have to think about Nantes, who changed their coach and their playing system during the last cup match. There are some direct confrontations on this match day. We have a home game before playing the Champions Trophy.

The transfer window

We need to meet with Pablo and Medhi. We may need something in terms of new arrivals. As for departures, you'll have to ask them.

Reinforcements in attack

That could be a solution, but it could also be in midfield or defence. We need to see where we want to go. We can think of something, but we'll see. We're working for the good of OM. OM comes first.

OM-Nantes, return match

We can work on that by trying to push from the start. This match may seem simple, but it's not. It will be important to start the match well. Plus, we're playing in the afternoon. The first match in January after the break is always difficult, but that's football.