OM-TFC (Cup): Press conference

replay of the press conference on Twitch

Geoffrey Kondogbia: ‘Putting everything in place to win’

After the victory against OL

We're smiling again after some difficult results. We're happier, but this is just one step and we're looking to the future.

The Coupe de France

It's natural here to play in the Coupe de France, even if the latest results haven't been up to the club's standards. We are aware of what is at stake and we accept our responsibilities.

Intensity

That's the life of a footballer. We always think about the next match and want to bring the same intensity and the same ingredients. It's natural to do that in every match.

His physical condition

I feel good, I'm ready to help the team. I can keep going. It's been a long time since I last played.

Verticality

Every coach is different, with a different approach. The end goal is the same: we have to win matches. Given each coach's background, the approach is different, but the end goal is the same.

Toulouse-OM

There was a lot of euphoria in the dressing room. That was normal, as we'd had a string of disappointments. We're going to focus on this big match. We have to see this competition through without putting too much pressure on ourselves. It's football, we can win or lose. We have to accept the end goal and go for the win.

A group affected

What is normal in football? It's cycles. The important thing is to be able to adapt. We try to do that every day. We have a crucial match tomorrow. It's human nature to think about the situation, but we have to focus our energy on what we can control, namely the matches.

Two matches against Toulouse in three days

They've never been an easy opponent. We have to repeat the efforts of the last match, otherwise it won't be enough. The coach has said so himself. We'll have to give it our all to win both matches.

Habib Beye

The coach knows the club very well. You can feel it in training, in his approach. It's too early to evaluate or put words to the coach. I'm happy to be working with him and I hope we can do great things together.

Periods of turbulence

We have to adapt. That's the most important thing. We're taking it in our stride. These things happen. We look further ahead and it happens elsewhere. That's the reality of football, it's quite cyclical. We focus on what we can control: training, intentions... The rest is difficult for us. The key is how we approach each day.

Habib Beye: ‘You have to feed off your emotions’

The match against Lyon

We can break down the match because we conceded a goal very early on. We were aggressive, we had chances, then they took control again. We were able to keep the ball and press them. We controlled several aspects of the game. I'm satisfied with what we produced, we just need to limit the lulls.

The squad

It will be too tight for Gouiri. Timber has dislocated his shoulder, but we hope to have him back for Saturday. Mmadi has a problem after a Pro 2 match and Pierre-Emile Højbjerg is suspended.

Intensity

This comes through turnover but also through recovery. I'm putting that word back into context. There is tactical intensity, technical intensity and running intensity. We played with intensity throughout the match.

Igor Paixão

He scored an extraordinary goal; that's talent. His behaviour is exemplary. He shows all his talent and has already scored 10 goals. We are very happy with his half-time performance against Lyon.

Managing transitions

You have to master all aspects of the game. No two matches are the same. You have to manage all aspects of the game, including transitions. We did that well on the third goal. Teams master all aspects of the game to perform well. We did that well against Lyon.

The captain and his qualities

The last thing is the technical aspect. The captain must be the shining light of the group, the coach's representative and the natural leader. The leaders in my group embody all these aspects. We have players who have this natural leadership. Pierre-Emile Højbjerg did very well against Lyon.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

He showed all his qualities with intensity. We have other players who can play in that position, such as Mason Greenwood and Igor Paixão. He enjoys playing. The players can play and keep going. There is a possibility of rotation. I'm not worried about my players' physical condition at this stage of the season.

Choosing which competitions to focus on?

We're going to play both competitions to the full. I'm taking it ‘step by step’. We have to go for our objectives, the trophies. It's a difficult cup quarter-final at home. We have high objectives. We can play on both fronts. We'll have to perform just as well as we did on Sunday to reach the semi-finals of the Coupe de France.

The French Cup

There are some big teams still in contention in the French Cup. We haven't won it for a long time, so we'll put a lot of energy into winning it. There's motivation and rivalry. We'll have to be very motivated to win it. But we're still a long way off. There are still Ligue 1 and cup matches to play. Toulouse will come with the same ambitions.

The captaincy and the goalkeeper

As captain, Balerdi is a very important player. I really liked what he did. He's a captain, he put the team first. There's no reason to change his status. We're lucky to have two very talented goalkeepers. We'll see tomorrow who we choose. We have four high-quality goalkeepers, which allows Gero and Jeffrey to work well.

Emotions

Football is above all a game, it generates emotions. You have to feed off those emotions. I was very happy to see the players connecting with the fans. But afterwards, in the dressing room, we quickly came back down to earth. That's the message for approaching the end of the season with serenity. We quickly got back to work to prepare for this match against Toulouse.