Reims-OM: Press conference

press conference replay on Twitch

Derek Cornelius: ‘We deserve to be where we are’

The international break

It was a difficult time after the match against PSG. The staff and the players were able to reflect on what we need to do to finish the season on a high.

It's a lot of travelling and a lot of games, but that's my life. We have good staff and good coaches here and in Canada to manage the recovery. I can't wait for tomorrow.

Adrien Rabiot

I didn't quite understand what happened. I saw it as always, which shows his mental strength. We are united with him and that will help us for the end of the season.

Attacks from behind the defence

It's a situation that has been talked about a lot. Against teams like PSG, small mistakes cost dearly. We learn, we draw lessons and we move forward.

The pressure

There is always pressure here. You always have to be ready. We are under no more pressure than usual. There are Monaco and Lille, but first Reims. The season will not be over on Saturday night, we have to make sure we take the three points tomorrow.

The defence

The team is made up of attack and defence. We have conceded goals that were sometimes unnecessary, when the score was already established. We want to improve. I am not concerned about either attack or defence.

The Champions League

A few weeks ago, we looked at the L1 stats and we deserve to be where we are. We are doing things well, we want to continue to improve and we are looking forward to playing the last eight matches.

Current results

It is always important after a difficult result to show that we know how to bounce back. We have confidence in our system. We know that if we do what we know how to do, we will have better results.

Cards

The staff or the coach didn't say anything to me in particular. We don't go out on the pitch to get booked, but the coach wants us to keep up the aggression.

The period of adjustment to France and Marseille

It's an interesting season. The league is very competitive, the matches are difficult. You have to earn the three points in every match. It's a challenge every weekend.

His development

I try to do what is right for the team. I have yet to adapt to all the new things. Over time, with confidence, I do my best. The coach and the staff see what I need to do more and I always try to improve.

Reims-OM

All matches are difficult and that will be the case tomorrow. You have to be ready and give everything to win. Reims has things to do to stay in L1. They will have to do a lot to win.

Competitors like Nice

No, he didn't say much about that. He's concentrating on his matches. He's a good friend of mine. We're fighting for a place in the Champions League and I'll make sure OM are in the Champions League next year.

Jonathan David

Maybe Medhi (Benatia) should call his agents... I don't know... He's a good player, we're not talking about that. If he comes here, I'll welcome him with open arms.

Matches against lower-ranked teams

The key is concentration. Every match has its difficulties. We will have to be careful, sometimes we will have to defend more. We have to analyse the threats of the opponents in order to counter them.

Roberto De Zerbi: ‘My plan is to create more than one team’

The international break

It came at the right time, especially for the injured players. They were able to recover, not all of them, but Bennacer and Murillo are available. As far as the matches are concerned, we didn't take as many points as we could have. We didn't take enough points. Against Auxerre, we were unlucky. Against Lens, it was one-sided. Against PSG... It's annoying that we've dropped points along the way.

Reims, a lowly team

It's the most important game because it's the first. We need to get back to winning ways. On paper, we're favourites to win. At the start of the season, if we'd been told that we'd be second with a two-point lead and still had games to play, especially at home, we'd have taken it. We've had difficulties. There are direct confrontations. We knew it was going to be difficult to get to the top of the table. We've almost always been second. You have to play with the ball and with courage.

Injuries

We talk about everything, we analyse everything. We have to find the causes, but each story is different. Højbjerg's injury happened because he played against Lens. I didn't have the strength to argue with the doctors. We know there are risks, we pay attention to the workload, to recovery. Some players have played 90-minute matches during the break. Gouiri played 90 then 73 minutes with Algeria. I don't want to take any risks.

Pierre-Emile Højbjerg

He is difficult to replace. He is decisive like others. We have to replace him with players with similar characteristics. With him, we lose one of the most important players, with the most personality. We'll see.

Already in the final sprint or not?

For me, everything is important, everything is a final. I wish we could all have that mentality. It means you don't suffer from the pressure. Apart from the result, against PSG, we put in a good performance. We played well in Paris? Yes? But we conceded three goals. During that match, we had a different vision. If we'd played like we did in Paris, we'd have more points.

Mason Greenwood

We need to clarify the Mason Greenwood case to avoid any scoops. I love Mason and his father. He's been through some tough times, a daughter was born, he's not used to being so important. He wasn't pushing himself as I wanted, 100% in training. My plan in Marseille is to create more than a team, a single group ready to push. He agreed to train with a colleague when the other players weren't there. He had a good week of training. I make my choices and sometimes he has to stay on the bench. Tomorrow he will play.

Changes in the team

The choice of Dedic/Merlin in Paris was an attacking one. Merlin is less good than Dedic at one-on-one situations and dribbling. I saw the statistic that OM were bottom in dribbles. I try to adapt to the characteristics of the players. We can't have 18 or 20 chances per game, but the one we have should result in a goal.

Discouraged?

I'm glad I'm not in the team that has the power. That's not the way I am. I'm honest. The classic is Barça/Real, Juve/Inter, but here the classic is one-sided. When I arrived here, I looked to see when the match against PSG was, but in Paris. We go there, we know we're inferior but we'll fight to the end. OM is the most important club in France. I mentioned the difference between the stadiums. In terms of results, it's clear, but the goal is to win 3-0. I live for that, it fuels me.

PSG champions this weekend?

They've earned it, they're a great team, with great players and a very great coach. He's really managed to create a team with maybe fewer stars, even if there are some. He's managed to create a team.

The busy schedule of European clubs

I'm not going to talk about that to avoid controversy.

The defence

We have a very clear way of defending. We concede similar goals but we do some good things. We have conceded goals when the result was already sealed, in Brest for example. In defence, we have players who are not defenders but adapted midfielders. We need to improve.

The results

Lack of commitment, absolutely not! The players always give 100% of themselves. They are always committed. If we had won 2-0 against Lens, nobody would have said anything. It was probably our best match. Against Auxerre, we had a chance at 1-0. We tried to score at all costs and we conceded on the counterattack. The matches that hurt me are against Strasbourg, we lose when we play badly. Out of 34 matches, it's normal for this kind of situation to arise.

Adrien Rabiot

I feel sorry for Adrien, his family, his mother and his brothers. I was expecting it. That's why he was the captain that night. I liked the idea of the whole OM team standing together behind him with the armband. I liked the idea of him entering the pitch at the Parc with the armband.

Preparing for a match during the break

We have to win the match tomorrow, whether we're in the World Cup or not. We'll see how tired we are, we're preparing for the match. We trained with an intense session. After dinner, we'll have a meeting with the players tomorrow as well. Being able to play in the Champions League with OM goes beyond the pressure, the fatigue...

The risk of injury

Yes absolutely, I have a sheet on my desk with the minutes, playing time and flight time of all the players. These are very important things, as is sleep time. The players want to play especially at the end of the season, when we approach that crucial moment.