Saturday, December 12, 2009

  Le Mans UC 72 / Valenciennes FC : 2 - 1

Arnaud Cormier: "It's a victory for courage, for the will to fight in each match until the end of the season. At half-time, I asked the team to defend the point we had in hand, because - up till now - we had lost each time we were a man down. We were still hoping for a set-piece which could change the course of the game. The players showed that desire. That's good, because we have to create a new dynamic. 'Well done' to the players - it's far from perfect, but we have to start somewhere. We're going to enjoy this evening."

Philippe Montanier: "We dominated the game with 11 against ten. We had a lot of chances. We knew that they could be dangerous from set-pieces, we had been warned."

>> Team Sheet

  RC Lens / OGC Nice : 2 - 0

Toifilou Maoulida: "We have atoned for our humiliation against Boulogne. We really wanted to react to that, and we did so in style. The hardest thing is to bounce back, but we did it. We upped our game, and pressed them high up the pitch. The most important thing is to take maximum points before the winter break."

Didier Ollé-Nicolle: "In the first half, we were too timid to be able to get a positive result away from home. We didn't play as well as we can. Lens showed more desire than us in attacking the ball. They caused us problems, but when you see the first goal, the defender who scored was all alone. We simply weren't switched on enough."

>> Team Sheet

  Olympique de Marseille / Boulogne Côte d'Opale : 2 - 0

Didier Deschamps: "It wasn't simple against a side that was well organised, and which played with nine defenders. The end of the match was untidy, but we did a job. We had to win, and we did. We did the bare minimum, but I'm satisfied with that, as I knew that it would be impossible to have the same adrenalin pumping as against Real Madrid."

Laurent Guyot: "It might make you laugh, but 17th place is like qualifying for the Champions League for us. We have to stay in the fight as long as possible. Le Mans won this evening, and have pulled up alongside us. Next time it'll be us - at least, I hope so."

>> Team Sheet

  AS Nancy Lorraine / Stade Rennais FC : 1 - 2

Frédéric Antonetti: "That's our worst performance since I came to Rennes. If we play like that, we've got no chance of finishing up near the top of the table. But sometimes it's like that. Tonight, we won without being in control. In the first half, they taught us a lesson in terms of desire. In fact, I think it's Nancy who lost the match rather than a case of us winning it."

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  FC Lorient / AJ Auxerre : 0 - 0

Christian Gourcuff: "I really enjoyed myself. We have rarely dominated a team in such a way. We've now got to try and recover to face Marseille, as I'm sure they'll be more aggressive than Auxerre were tonight."

Jean Fernandez: "It's clearly a good result for us. We had very few chances against a side that's very solid at home. In fact, we were always under pressure, especially in the second half. We gave away possession far too much."

>> Team Sheet