OM-Auxerre (1-0): Habib Beye's reaction

Analysis

I’m very pleased with the result, the three points and the fact we didn’t concede a goal. We had a lacklustre first half, which was down to the circumstances. We couldn’t get into our stride. In the second half, we took control of the match. We needed to stay focused. The change in formation and the substitutions did us good. The first half wasn’t up to the standard of the second. The players went out and got the three points, which are good for us at the moment.

Amine Gouiri

We’re very close to seeing Gouiri and Aubameyang start together. When I arrived, Amine got injured in Brest. He needs to get back into the swing of things. We have two natural strikers; if we start with both, we’ll be short of options. Amine is very important. We’re very pleased with his performance. There are positive aspects to the mindset of the substitutes.

Half-time team talk

I will always support my players. I will never criticise them in front of you. We needed more determination, more character. A match has two halves. The overall assessment must cover the full 95 minutes. We handled the transition phases quite well. There’s room for improvement, but we’ve secured three wins in a row and we’ll go to bed tonight in third place. We’ll keep working hard until the Lille game. It wasn’t an easy situation tonight.

The midfield

By switching to a system with two midfielders, Amine brought creativity. We have players capable of bringing quality to the midfield. Over the last two months, we were conceding two goals a game, and now we’re not. Football is less spectacular at times. We’re three points ahead of Lyon; we’re still in the race. The players deserve credit. As for the quality of our play, we’ll work on improving.

The crowd, the context

It’s tough for everyone. We wanted things to take off. It’s been difficult to rediscover that extra bit of spirit. I want to congratulate my players for stepping up the pace. We need the support of our fans. My message is genuine: we’ll need them. It’s up to us to do what’s required. We need the stadium and the strength it gives us.

The certainties

The quality of my squad, the work put in at training. We’re demanding a lot from the players. They’re fully on board; they’re enjoying themselves. The results are positive. We need to refine the quality of our play and our consistency. The driving force is the players. There are eight games left; we must stay ahead.

Conrad Jaden Egan-Riley

We’ve stepped up the intensity of training. Matches allow us to ramp up the intensity. Egan-Riley had a yellow card. I’m pleased with the players who seized this opportunity.

Yellow cards

We speak to the players who have four yellow cards, especially those in the same line. They were warned. With their experience, they can handle it. We manage these situations, we warn the players, but there’s intensity and commitment. It’s good to have Balerdi back in training; Nadir will also be back on Tuesday. That’s good.