Sunday, August 11, 2019

 Paris Saint-Germain  3 - 0  Nîmes Olympique 

Thomas Tuchel (Paris Saint-Germain coach): "It was a near-perfect evening. There are always things to improve, but we controlled the match well. Certain players only resumed training with us ten days ago, so I’m very happy with what we did tonight. We kept our structure and we kept on our pressing. That allowed us to win the ball back higher up the pitch and quicker and this was a deserved win."

Bernard Blaquart (Nîmes Olympique coach): "As is often the case against Paris, there was no real contest tonight. We were in with a slim chance up until VAR awarded them a penalty. Paris are from a different planet from us. Their budget is 25 times bigger than ours [actually 23, ed.]. We tried to do the absolute best we can t the moment, which is to say perhaps not enough."

 LOSC 2-1 FC Nantes 

Christophe Galtier (Lille coach): "It was a logical result although Nantes caused us problems. We lacked consistency over the course of the game but that was no doubt down to the varying fitness levels of the players. The first half-hour was really good but the last 15 minutes of the first half did not please me at all. We didn't kill the game off and we were playing for the sake of it rather than looking to win the match. I was also very unhappy with the way we started the second half but I was pleased with our reaction in the final 20 minutes. We were lucky enough to win the game, so all the better. Victor (Osimhen) was a player Luis (Campos) identified some time ago. He was our priority for the centre-forward role. He is above all else a good team-mate and goal-scorer. He likes to get in behind, find space, but he also makes his presence felt in the box. We didn't have a player like him last season."

Christian Gourcuff (Nantes coach): "We had spells where we played well and others where we were not so good. That inconsistency prevented us from controlling the game. We can do better in terms of our organisation and how we move the ball about, I think and I hope. There is plenty of willingness in the squad, and we need that in order to get on with each other. Tactically is where we need to do most work."

 RC Strasbourg Alsace  1 - 1  FC Metz 

Thierry Laurey (Strasbourg coach): "Metz getting that early equaliser in the second half was a blow but they played well too, we have to acknowledge that. They pressed us high and we were less tidy technically, and it was tricky for us at the end of the match. Overall it was a fair result. All it takes is one mistake, which we made, and you find yourselves back level. It is a shame. It is our first match and we have taken a point. Lots of teams have lost at home, it's not easy. We will do better next time."

Vincent Hognon (Metz coach): "We didn't play how we wanted to play in the first half and conceded three chances. We were passive. We were playing with a level of apprehension, with the handbrake on. We corrected that at half-time and came out and played better. The players need to be aware that they can cause teams problems. We didn't deserve to win the game but I hope the players learn from this. I am very pleased for Habib Diallo because I know all the journalists were worried that he was not scoring. I wasn't worried."

Saturday, August 10, 2019

 Olympique de Marseille 0 - 2 Stade de Reims 

André Villas-Boas (Marseille coach): "It's difficult to accept. We were too slow in attack. We managed to attack down the right but not down Dimitri Payet's left wing. We didn't find space. I must say too that Reims were very good in terms of their defensive organisation. We conceded two goals in transitional phases and we need to work on that. We need to gain in confidence and that's harder after a home loss."

David Guion (Reims coach): "We deserved the win. At half-time I was disappointed my side hadn't scored the first goals as we'd had the chances to do so. We also knew that with the heat that the pace of the match would drop and there'd be further chances. It's an advantage not to have changed the squad in the summer as my players understand each other. When you are in a stadium like the Vélodrome you need to stay calm and control your emotions."

 OGC Nice 2-1 Amiens SC 

Patrick Vieira (Nice coach): "The victory was deserved as we were better than them and created chances. The team spirit and organisation were good and the discipline pleased me. On the bench we sensed their equaliser coming. Against a team down to ten men you start to fail to respect the game, play in a more individual way and make mistakes. That's a pity but we reacted."

Luka Elsner (Amiens coach): "It's too cruel. At the same time it's our fault as we mustn't concede in the 95^th minute after 90 minutes of effort, courage and sacrifice. We must learn a lot from what happened. We did very good things for an hour and we don't leave with our heads bowed. We should have left with a point and that would have been extraordinary given the events."

 Angers SCO 3 - 1 Girondins de Bordeaux 

Stéphane Moulin (Angers coach): "I'm satisfied as we hadn't won our first game since the first season in the top division. I congratulated the players pre-match for how serious they'd been in pre-season and I congratulated them again afterwards. We didn't start well and I don't know why but we managed to turn things around. We could have scored twice as many goals and we were never in trouble after the break."

Paulo Sousa (Bordeaux coach): "We must congratulate Stéphane Moulin and his players as Angers were better than us in every department. I'm sorry for our fans who came here to help us win. We started well and had two or three chances and Angers could have had a red card on our goal. That said, our opponents played better than us. What worries me most is that after we started well we weren't able to play and keep the ball."

 Stade Brestois 29 - Toulouse FC 

Olivier Dall'Oglio (Brest coach): "There's a lot of frustration and regrets concerning the result but I am satisfied with the attitudes. This is Ligue 1 and things can change quickly. There were turning points with the crossbar and the penalty and they also had chances. We need to progress in the way we use the ball and we need to know how to keep it. We lost a few balls through hurrying and that's the pressure of the first match, the stress and our fans."

Alain Casanova (Toulouse coach): "The draw was a fair result even if there were turning points and they could have broken clear and claimed the three points. That would have been harsh as we had quite a bit of possession, varied our play well and were dangerous from set plays. We didn't accept losing and equalised. That was important for the team and for our goalscorer Koulouris."

 Montpellier Hérault SC 0-1 Stade Rennais FC 

Michel Der Zakarian (Montpellier coach): "We deserved to equalise but we were not clinical enough in front of goal. We had clear chances but we needed to fire to the side of the keeper. We weren't well organised in the first half but we put in a good second half in terms of the quality of our play. We created chances and if we'd scored the penalty we could have gone on to win the game, especially with Rennes down to ten men."

Julien Stéphan (Rennes coach): "We started with control and quality from a technical standpoint. After the goal we sat back too much and let them play and they managed to find space between the lines. We came out with greater intent in the second half and put together some quality moves. Finally, we showed a lot of courage and a sense of sacrifice in the final 20 minutes. We had a bit of luck with the shot against the crossbar in the last minute"

 Dijon FCO 1-2 AS Saint-Etienne 

Stéphane Jobard (Dijon coach): "I was hoping for a baptism of fire and we put in five good minutes before conceding two goals to defensive errors, a Dijon speciality. That's infuriating. I liked the reaction of my players and I have nothing much to reproach them for in terms of their investment. We showed that when we try things we're capable of good things and troubling many a team."

Ghislain Printant (Saint-Etienne coach): "This is a satisfying result and we managed to win thanks to 30 very good opening minutes. We were effective in front of goal and the team managed to resist Dijon's direct style. Some players weren't ready physically but with their talent and their experience we knew that they'd contribute something. We got the win thanks to ASSE's traditional values: courage and working for each other."

Friday, August 9, 2019

AS Monaco 0-3 Olympique Lyonnais 

Leonardo Jardim (Monaco coach): "In the first 30 minutes we made a mistake that cost a goal and then we controlled the ball but without attacking threat. After the red card it was Lyon who controlled the ball. In terms of attitude my players tried to give their best. We made mistakes, big mistakes that cost the first two goals but we can also talk about a lack of attacking weight we have. We lack the attacking impact to be more effective in the final third."

Sylvinho (Lyon coach): "I'm happy with the match. AS I had said, we're going to suffer a lot in the first two to three matches in terms of the pace of the game and our understanding amongst ourselves. Because of the result I am very happy but the road is very long. Moussa Dembélé is a top player and he put in a great match like all the others. What pleased me is that we were very compact defensively and that's very important in modern football."