OM-Nantes: Press conference

Press conference replay on twitch

Geoffrey Kondogbia: ‘Put the ingredients in place to win’

When you lose like that, you feel responsible. I've dealt with it differently. A match can be won or lost. That's part of football. We have to focus on what we have left. We have an important match at home, we have to take the three points.

These are people who matter to us, the architects of this beautiful project. It hurts our football, the French championship. There are statements, things around the stadiums, it hurts football. We love football, the emotions, playing in beautiful stadiums. It's complicated. We have our role to play. There needs to be a sense of appeasement. The atmosphere must be calmed with everyone's help.

We had discussed this with the coach before Bennacer's arrival, the possibility of me playing in defence. It wasn't related to Bennacer's arrival. This subject was there long before his arrival.

It was more global. We didn't know how to manage or implement something that could have been in our favour. We could have approached this match with a different level of commitment. It should serve as a lesson to us. It happens to lose but not in this way. We have to prepare well to take the three points on Sunday.

The decisions are being discussed in every changing room. Feelings and questions are legitimate. The most important thing is what we have control over, how to catch our opponents out.

I prefer to play in the middle naturally, but the system is similar to the midfield. We try to get the ball out cleanly. It all depends on the system and the coach's set-up. I like the system and I enjoy it.

That's our reality. We still have a long way to go. The results, overall, prove it. We are a team under construction. That's part of the journey, we have to be aware of that. After a win, you have to stay calm. The same after a defeat, we have the capacity to achieve our goals.

It's a question of judgement. I can't speak for all the players. It's part of the game to ask for a red card if you think it's deserved. Each player has their own way of being and thinking. If you want to help the referee, you can do it. The coaches, the press... Everyone can help the referee. We don't do our utmost to help the referees.

We live with constant pressure from the first day. This helps to maintain intensity. We knew it was going to be difficult. It requires more attention, more aggression. It's a week like any other, you have to put in the ingredients to win.

The coach trusts me. After a defeat, I try to be as calm as possible, to be exemplary, available to the group. I have experience, I have to share it without pretension. The coach trusts me on that and I try to return the trust.

Luiz Felipe Ramos is very available. He has blended in, he is smiling. He has a lot of experience, he is comfortable in his role, with and without the ball. He has tactical knowledge. He needs time. He is much better and he is going to help us in these last few months, which are going to be important for us.

Everyone has to make an effort in this regard. We all have to make an effort. That is the solution.

There is no need to debrief about a match once it is over. Debriefing about this was not on the agenda.

They will be very tough opponents. We must be vigilant; they have just beaten a good team in the standings. All home games are special, they are different. We must approach it that way. It must be in our DNA.

Injury is the enemy of the top athlete. It's part of the game, you have to work to come back. There is competition and a group that works. It's part of football, I've experienced it during my career. The squad is improving, we've seen it with the latest arrivals.

There are very few players who can be a key player in a season. This is not the case with Mason Greenwood. He has talent, instinct and creativity. We need him and his qualities. He is very calm, it's in his nature. It's positive for us, he will help us until the end of the season.

Roberto De Zerbi: ‘Concentrate on the pitch’

The team must react like strong men, used to the pressure, by giving their all and winning the match. We have to play better than we did at Auxerre. We have to concentrate on the pitch. We've had a good season so far.

I haven't resigned, which is already a good thing. We didn't play badly, we had chances to score. We played better than we did away.

It will be Kondogbia. Luiz Felipe Ramos resumed training yesterday or the day before. He is not ready to play, so it will be Kondogbia.

I am always close to my family. Medhi, Pablo, Fabrizio and the players are part of my family. This is the last time I want to talk about the referees. There have been threats made to the referee. I express my full solidarity with the referee and his loved ones. I confirm what I said at the end of the match. The referee did not have a good game. We didn't lose because of him, his role was decisive. The sending offs of Cornelius and Harit... These are very serious mistakes. If people think that's not true, it doesn't matter. Everyone can think what they want. I have my character, I am not changing what I said. OM will be my last team in France, I don't want to leave tomorrow or at the end of the season, I want to stay for 3 or 4 years. I'm continuing to make my own way. I hope that I will no longer be spoken to as a referee because I will not respond, from now until my last second at OM. Yes, the referees penalised us, the penalty in Strasbourg... We got the points we deserved. I decided to be here because I can see myself here, with the supporters but also making mistakes. We are hot-blooded, we want to do things right and so that is how I will express myself. I have no intention of leaving. It is not something I want to do.

There is a big difference. Auxerre played defensively for 90 minutes. Balance means playing football well and playing aggressively like the others when they defend. We have this aggressiveness, this desire to play with and without the ball in Lyon and Saint-Etienne. We want to put them under pressure, to ‘beat them up’. Sometimes, we think too much about the game and not enough about the mental aspect.

I talk about it with the players because I am an open live. I talk to everyone in the same way. I told the players not to talk about it anymore, not to make the VAR gesture anymore. We have to be stronger than that to achieve our goals.

Valentin Rongier is an important player. Bennacer arrived, he was injured and he needed to play. Rongier is a very strong player, as is Bennacer. To be at the top level, you need very strong players.

The idea is to play football, to train, to play. At the end of the match, I shook the referee's hand. Our objective is to play in the Champions League next season. This objective is ingrained in us. The referees made a statement, I said what I thought.

In the middle, we play with two players. Depending on suspensions and injuries, I try to find the best solution. We have found the right tactical system for the players. I decide on the positions and the animation according to the qualities of the players. We have Rabiot and Greenwood in front and two players behind. There is no point in going back.

Mason Greenwood is an added value for us. He can be better or worse depending on various factors. He always has to do more. He is intelligent, his father helps him in his career. I talk to his father every other day and we help him reach an ever higher level.

Good question... We need players who can score. I like to play with balls that go towards the wings. Rabiot is better when higher up the pitch. Greenwood scores less when he is far from goal. We have implemented a system that is best for these players. We'll see what happens next year, but I like players who are good in one-on-one situations.