Sunday, September 1, 2019

 Olympique de Marseille  1 - 0  AS Saint-Etienne 

André Villas-Boas (Olympique de Marseille coach): "We turned in a wonderful performance. The transfer window is over, and that's going to give this team some concentration and peace of mind. We didn't play well, it's obvious, we made several mistakes in the construction of our moves, we suffered in the transitions and we didn't get too many shots on target. But in terms of physicality and aggressiveness, we were incredible. We're in the top half of the table, and that gives confidence to the team. We built the 4-3-3 around Luiz (Gustavo), but he left for Fenerbahce so in this formation now we play around Kevin (Strootman). All the players were incredible in terms of the effort put in."

Ghislain Printant (AS Saint-Etienne coach): "All we were lacking was some cutting edge. But most of the time, we were doing what we wanted to do. We put OM in trouble and we kept the pressure on them. We were on top of things technically but we struggled to get verticality into our play and really put Marseille on the back foot. We created situations for ourselves but we didn't score. We need to have more clarity. But I saw some promising signs even though, of course, we didn't get the job done.

 Stade Rennais FC 1-2 OGC Nice 

Julien Stéphan (Rennes coach): "We had a disappointing final half hour and the Nice penalty changed a lot. We lacked energy, intensity and quality. This was surprising because we were fairly good in the first half. We had a lot of chances and had them under pressure. We lost to many duels and this was decisive. Our goalkeeper Edouard [Mendy] was not called into action often. Nine points out of a possible 12 is still very good. We played two strong teams away from home in Montpellier and Strasbourg, we beat PSG, and we had a hiccup today."

Patrick Vieira (OGC Nice coach): "It's a team of young players, but I work with them every day and see their concentration, their desire to learn. They're determined and they were great today. Everyone took responsibility. We didn't deserve to be behind at half-time because they were only dangerous from set pieces. We had a good game against a team who have been playing very well this season. We showed a lot of character. Youcef [Atal] gives us penetration. It was important to have him back. When he's at that level he's a very interesting player for us. The new players need to work. We'll use the international break to get them up to speed."

Saturday, August 31, 2019

 Olympique Lyonnais 1-1 Girondins de Bordeaux 

Sylvinho (Lyon coach): "We saw lots of nice bits of skill, it was oppressively hot and we had the lead but couldn't hold on to it. The sending-off of Thiago Mendes put us in difficulty. I am sad because we had the lead and we ended up having to fight to not lose the match. It's two more points dropped and that is what makes me sad. We know how to defend in a 4-5-1, we are not bad at set-pieces, and we have scored nine goals (in total). The problem is the sendings-off which are making us drop points and the difficulties we are having when it comes to killing the match. When you start to build you can expect ups and downs. We need to partly change our mentality, establish our superiority, have more conviction, and not drop points."

Paulo Sousa (Bordeaux coach): "We were superior throughout practically the whole match and even when it was 11 against 11. Lyon created some good chances thanks to the quality they have. We should not have conceded the goal we did, but the individual quality of Memphis made the difference. When we were behind, the team kept believing they could get a good result. We managed to create some good chances, especially with good crosses from wide areas. I am quite satisfied given all the work we put in during the week."

 Angers SCO 2-0 Dijon FCO 

Stéphane Moulin (Angers coach): "It would be bizarre if I were not satisfied tonight. We have done brilliantly so far, even if the result at Lyon was cruel for us. That showed the difference between them and us, but otherwise it's been a great success so far and it's satisfying. To win three matches at home is not easy. We have done it, so congratulations to the players. They came here and played with five at the back, which was to some extent the price to pay for us after two home games in which we had scored three goals each time. They came here to contain us. It wasn't our best performance, but we had set the bar so high that it was not easy to do so well. It wasn't easy to say we would get nine points from four matches, especially with Lyon in there."

Stéphane Jobard (Dijon coach): "Individual errors are still costing us dear. Matches are decided in the two penalty areas and we were not good enough at either end of the field. We caused Angers problems in the first half but they ended up creating chances because of our mistakes. We need to correct that quickly, my players need to learn fast if we are to save our skin. Despite everything I thought we showed good spirit and we managed to trouble Angers. And our new attacking signings are not yet completely ready. I will have a stable squad for the next game."

 FC Nantes 1-0 Montpellier Hérault SC 

Christian Gourcuff (Nantes coach): "Even if it had finished 0-0, I would have been pleased with our organisation and how we controlled the game. We just lacked the precision in the final third that would have seen us get a return on our domination. We are making progress, even if it's still a bit chaotic at times in terms of our control of possession. We need to get the ball forward faster, and be quicker and more creative in the final third."

Michel Der Zakarian (Montpellier coach): "We just didn't use the ball well enough. The final ball or cross wasn't good enough - there was the chance for Andy (Delort) against Lafont, shots that were blocked, the header for Vito (Hilton) from a corner, and that was all. We were not dangerous enough in the final third, not enough for my liking. We can't use tiredness as an excuse. We made too many bad decisions."

 Nîmes Olympique 3-0 Stade Brestois 29 

Bernard Blaquart (Nîmes coach): "It is our first win of the season. It was important to get this result so as not to be left behind in the table. We had chances to kill the game before half-time but we didn't take them. That is the only thing I can reproach my players for. We started superbly. We are still not there yet, we still need to evaluate certain things and progress in certain areas, but what we saw tonight was reassuring. We just need to remain prudent. We have new signings who have been late in arriving. The transfer window has been difficult to deal with but everyone has shown their potential."

Olivier Dall'Oglio (Brest coach): "I know we have been starting matches poorly and as is often the case, we were not able to sort out a bad start. We are being punished at the start of games, coming second to every challenge. The first half remains my biggest regret because we just didn't play. There is work to be done. We played like schoolboys. We didn't look comfortable. We need to grow up, stop being timid. A match is two halves of football. At the moment we are not strong enough mentally."

 Toulouse FC 2-0 Amiens SC 

Alain Casanova (Toulouse coach): "We came up against a good Amiens side in the first half. They caused us big problems tactically and I couldn't wait for half-time to correct certain things. It was much better after that and the players deserve all the credit for that. It was important that we showed a reaction. We deserved the win for the way we played in the second half. We have seven points from four games and that was the objective we had set for the team. There is still a lot of work to do and we will keep trying to improve."

Luka Elsner (Amiens coach): "We can look back on the first half with regrets. We should have been in front but we just lacked that final touch. We suspected Toulouse would react in the second half. They opened the scoring and we didn't have the physical or mental capacity to come back. We needed to show a greater hatred of losing. We didn't show enough in the second half. We also lack depth in certain positions, especially in central defence. The transfer window is not closed for us."

Friday, August 30, 2019

 FC Metz 0-2 Paris Saint-Germain 

Vincent Hognon (Metz coach): "Once again we conceded two goals from set plays and for us it's all a case of situations repeating. It's a shame because we put in a lot of hard work and we created chances in the first half. Against a team such as PSG you cannot afford to commit such errors and that's why I am quite frustrated. Overall, the players lived up to my expectations and I saw a valorous Metz team. We were just lacking a little bit of luck."

Thomas Tuchel (Paris Saint-Germain coach): "It wasn't easy and there were many raisons to lose focus but the team played very seriously and that was necessary to win against a team such as Metz. The team put in a good effort, it wasn't a brilliant performance but it was a serious one. It's true that we lacked attacking quality in order to create more chances for ourselves. It was important to keep winning and that was our third clean sheet in four games. We never lost our organization and Idrissa Gueye brings us something special in that department."