Lille-OM: Geoffrey Kondogbia's press conference

Geoffrey Kondogbia: ‘It's tight!’

The training camp in Rome

We're doing pretty well, happy to have spent some time together, it's always positive, we're getting to know each other. We had a good working environment. That's important for the team and the staff.

Victory is imperative given the pace of the competition

The mindset has always been the same. It's been tight for a while. We go into games trying to win them. We have to go out on the pitch with that intention. We're here, the mindset remains the same.

The coach's words

I saw what he said. It's always positive when a coach says good things about a player. But he also said things I need to improve on. Still, it's always nice to hear, and I was quite happy that the coach said positive things about me.

What I take away from his comments is that he appreciates my efforts, both my strengths and my weaknesses. I try to repay him on the pitch.

Lille, a rival at Champions League level

I don't know if it's a big deal. It's a good test beyond the league table. They're a team that's used to working together, that's been playing together for several years, and that's ahead of us at that level. Lille are a big fish in the league, they've proven that over the last few years. For a fairly new group like us, it's a good test.

A deserved second place

We said that at certain points during the season. Now we're focusing on each game as it comes. We'll see the final outcome soon enough. We've done everything we can to be ready for this game.

An opponent who will play

I don't believe that because opponents and matches are different. Sometimes the opponent is waiting for us and it goes badly, and sometimes it goes well. Lille are regularly in the Champions League, they know each other well, they play at the top of the table, so it's always a difficult match. I don't know if we can talk about good or bad moments or team profiles.

The UNFP Awards

We just laughed about it... Honestly, I don't know what to say. These are choices that have to be respected. We have our opinions as players. We recognise the value of each individual. We have no say in the matter. There's no accounting for taste.

We would have liked to have been there for ourselves and our staff, but we are grateful to those who share our daily lives.

For victory in Lille

We're OM, every time we play, we try to win. Our style of play always leads us to go for victory. It will be a tough game, Lille are a disciplined team with good automatisms. It won't be easy.

A 3- or 4-man defence

Every game is prepared differently, the opponent is different. We don't prepare for the next match during the match we're playing. The two teams are not similar in the way they play.

Amine Gouiri

Naturally, it attracts attention. He's coming off a huge performance and as a defender, that attracts attention. I don't know if it will cause fear among the Lille players.