OM-Nantes (2-0): Coach's reaction

What do you remember about the game?

It was a match that I feared, especially after the defeat against Auxerre and the effects it could have had. It was a different match from Saint-Etienne. We deserved this victory, we had chances. It wasn't our best home game. We need to win our next ten games and that will be down to our heads, our patience and our intelligence more than any other factors we bring to the matches.

It's an important game that could be a turning point...

Yes, it's a game that could be decisive for the end of the season. We haven't been lucky... We had chances against Auxerre, we lost and we deserved it. Tonight is different. Rulli made some great saves but we had opportunities, we deserve this success. We did more than our opponent.

A word about Valentin Rongier coming on...

Valentin Rongier is a starter like Rabiot, Bennacer, Højbjerg and Greenwood. Tonight, Bennacer and Højbjerg played in that position and they are great players. Bennacer is still getting back into shape. With ten games to go, it would be too risky to change the structure of the game. It's my responsibility and two out of three players can start in that position. There's Murillo's injury, which could last a few weeks, and I'll consider Rongier since he's played there in the past. We play with 11 and not 12 or 13. We need a full squad. It's up to me to make the choices, to manage.

Leonardo Balerdi played a very good game on his return...

I hope that the big European clubs never realise that Balerdi exists. It's something I think about almost every night when I go to bed. I think about what an extraordinary player he is. I hope he will slip under the radar of the big teams.

Amar Dedic gives you an extra option on the wings...

Dedić prefers to play on the left rather than the right. Against a closed team, I need players who can play 1-on-1 on the wing before cutting inside. Merlin did that at the start of the season. Dedić offers me an additional offensive solution. He is a young player, I am waiting for him to adapt, to get a feel for the stadium, the environment, the shirt, for him to be ready in every respect before I make him a regular starter.