Reims-OM (3-1): Coach's reaction

How do you view this defeat, the fourth in five games?

Four defeats in five matches is a difficult moment. We haven't been lucky, things haven't gone our way. We concede a silly goal when our defence is lined up. Then we have chances but we concede another silly goal, a bit like the one we conceded at Auxerre, and that's when we started to lose the order we had on the pitch. We shouldn't play like that. OK, you might want to attack, but you can't lose that balance, and that's what happened, and that's how we conceded the second and then the third goal. Without Balerdi, we don't have a fast defender, and that cost us. We need to be more lucid in difficult moments... That's how it is, it happens in life as in football. Now we have to react like men, grit our teeth and act with a different attitude and desire to achieve our goal, the Champions League, which is fully achievable.

Adrien Rabiot spoke of a collective state of mind. What do you think about that?

Adrien Rabiot is a sensitive player. He wants to qualify for the Champions League, like all the other players. There isn't one of them who isn't motivated in that respect. There's no doubt about it. You have to understand why in Paris we were focused, with our eyes fixed on the goal, and here, as in Auxerre or in other situations, we can't manage to have the same focus. Mentality cannot be bought at the supermarket. The mentality that I want for my team is not the one we have at the moment. I will have to explain to the players what I want in terms of mentality.

Are you worried or do you think your team has the means to react as early as next week?

Obviously, we have to be concerned, we've lost 4 out of the last 5 games. It's normal to be concerned. We know the way forward, I believe in my players, but if we can't have the same mentality as against Paris and if we can't have that state of mind against the teams at the bottom of the table, we'll never be a great team, in my opinion. What also saddens me is having lost Leonardo Balerdi. That pains me more than the defeat. I hope we can get him back on his feet quickly because, along with Derek Cornelius, he is the only centre-back we have available since Luiz Felipe is also injured.

Are you satisfied with Mason Greenwood's performance?

It wasn't his best game. He had the opportunity to open the scoring early on. It's one of those episodes that speaks for itself tonight. We've had bad luck on two occasions, like against Auxerre or Lens. If it happens now when it didn't happen before, it means that we don't have that inner fire to win these matches. When you lack that fire, luck is also on the other side.

What can you change to make OM win again?

From a tactical point of view, I don't think we need to change anything. Maybe something else, the mental aspect... The international players may have a little too much of that... You only get one chance in your life to play in the Champions League at the Orange Vélodrome, it's not something that will happen very often, so when you have that opportunity, even if you're tired, you have to be able to push yourself. Tactically, when Leonardo Balerdi is not there, the team changes. We often lose when he is absent, that's a fact. We could have done better here or against Auxerre, Lens was different. Tonight, like against Auxerre, I'm going home angry.

After his injury, Leonardo Balerdi tried to continue...

I'm not on the pitch. I asked him, he told me he wanted to try to play. On the bench, we didn't have many defenders. The doctors told me that it was better for Murillo that he didn't play, which is why Geoffrey Kondogbia moved to centre back with Derek Cornelius.