Sunday, May 12, 2019

 Olympique de Marseille 0-3 Olympique Lyonnais 

 Stade Rennais FC 1-1 EA Guingamp 

Julien Stéphan (Rennes coach): "Guingamp caused us trouble and they took a lot of risks, especially in the second half. We've dropped points towards the end of the season, and our overall attitude hasn't been so good. It's become difficult to see a result out and I would like it to be better. In any case, that isn't the story of the whole season and we will keep trying. Today's a sad day for Guingamp. We won't bask in others' misery."

Jocelyn Gourvennec (Guingamp coach): "We're very sad, of course. It's something that can happen to a club. When I arrived in mid-November I knew it would be extremely difficult because we didn't have enough points and the team was stressed. I think we've improved as a team over the last six months. We deserved to win tonight, we gave up hardly any chances. But that's part of the game and we must accept it. Our run to the Coupe de la Ligue final was good but the defeat then played on the players' minds. The team have improved, we have a good base, are organized, coherent and athletic. My job would be the same next season regardless of what division it was in."

Saturday, May 11, 2019

 Angers SCO 1-2 Paris Saint-Germain 

Stéphane Moulin (Angers coach): "They don't need much. It's a shame because in the first half, apart from Cavani's disallowed goal, they had one opportunity and we had three. Yet they were 1-0 up at half-time. We were prepared to find ourselves 2-0 down, but we know that they struggle to keep going for 90 minutes because they no longer have any major objectives to play for. Therefore I knew we would get chances, that they would switch off, but we couldn't take advantage. The problem with PSG is that, whatever you say at the moment, they have the ability to keep the ball, to tire you out, wear you down. My only regret is that we didn't score a little earlier because I think we would have had a real chance to come back then."

Thomas Tuchel (Paris SG coach): "We played well for much of the game but there were also spells where we gave chances away and where the spaces between the lines were too big. But we are pleased to be back to winning ways. It was really necessary. Not easy, which is normal, but what I didn't like is that, once again, after the second goal we did not keep playing with the same rhythm and pushing in the opposition half. But we are going through a difficult spell, we won, and it will help us to get our confidence back. It was absolutely necessary to show a reaction, it was our last chance to do so. Neymar played well but these are things we expect from him - to be decisive for us, to score goals, provide assists. It's his job."

 Amiens SC 0-0 Toulouse FC 

Christophe Pelissier (Amiens coach): "We could have hoped for better tonight. A victory would have been deserved. We were strong at the back and contained the opposition. Now we have two matches left against Monaco and Guingamp and we are still ahead of our pursuers. We need to be a bit more positive, not worry about the others."

Alain Casanova (Toulouse coach): "We can be happy with the point and with the spirit shown by the team. There was so much at stake that it wasn't a great game. We are frustrated because we would have liked to do better. Fortunately we were solid at the back. Mathematically we are not safe yet, and in football anything can happen. We saw that this week in the Champions League. We can only count on ourselves."

 SM Caen 3-2 Stade de Reims 

Fabien Mercadal (Caen coach): "We knew we would have to go on a run like this and we are programmed to keep going until the end. It was not all perfect once again, but as a collective we delivered. We wanted to get an early goal. We are focused on our game, not on the table, even if we know the situation and we know what position our rivals are in, and the points gap. We have a huge match to prepare for at Lyon. After that we are hoping for a big finale against Bordeaux here on the final day."

David Guion (Reims coach): "We were a bit timid at the start and we struggled to deal with Caen's direct approach. That was their strength and yet we had identified that, so it is a regret that we conceded goals in that way. We switched off for five minutes, from the 40th to the 45th, with those two goals we conceded just as we were coming back into the game. We got them back in the game. We had made them doubt themselves before that, but not for long enough. We lacked commitment and determination in the first half. This run without a win is hard to take, we really wanted to end it here, but we didn't do enough."

 Dijon FCO 2-1 RC Strasbourg Alsace 

Antoine Kombouaré (Dijon coach): "It is a victory which gives us hope. I don't know if we deserved it or not, but it doesn't matter. We are not going to worry about Caen or Monaco, but about ourselves. We suffered in the second half after being lucky enough to score the first goal. I was pleased with the reaction of the players, with their mental qualities, with the goal coming deep in injury time. I am also pleased for Julio Tavares for getting back among the goals."

Thierry Laurey (Strasbourg coach): "I am disappointed because we deserved to win. But our inability to take our chances cost us the victory, and we also came up against a very good goalkeeper. Three months ago we were not losing matches like this."

 OGC Nice 1-1 FC Nantes 

Patrick Vieira (Nice coach): "It was a bad first half. Nantes analysed our game well. We were unable to develop our game. It was much better in the second half. Nantes caused us problems with their quality. I am disappointed at the missed penalty, but with a bit of hindsight the draw is the right result. The penalty could have been struck better. Maybe Youcef (Atal) was tired. We have missed some very important ones this season, but it was also a good save by the goalkeeper. We will go into the last two matches with the same approach as tonight. We showed that we were fully implicated. We will give everything to try to win at Saint-Etienne. Monaco? Looking at it from outside, it is hard to see a great team in such difficulty. It is surprising to see them down there."

Vahid Halilhodžić (Nantes coach): "We didn't lose, so it is not the end of our run. We could have lost it at the end though. My team played some really good football in the first half. Then Nice put us under more pressure in the second half. It was difficult to maintain the same rhythm from the first half throughout the match. If (Kalifa) Coulibaly had scored instead of hitting the post it would have been game over, for sure, but we could have lost it as well. Fortunately Max (Dupé) saved the penalty, but we have given away too many penalties. But anyway it's a good point. We are back up to 10th having been a long way off, so hats off to the players."

 Nîmes Olympique 1-0 AS Monaco 

Bernard Blaquart (Nîmes coach): "It was a rough, tense and difficult match. We stood firm defensively and were solid despite having a very young back line. There were also moments where we gave the ball away too quickly, where we were disrupted, but we knew we would suffer at times. The only regret is that we did not make more of all the chances that came our way, but Monaco are very good technically and it is incomprehensible that they are in this situation."

Leonardo Jardim (Monaco coach): "We continue to believe that we can stay up. That is the objective anyway. We still have our fate in our own hands. Victory at home next weekend is vital. We lacked impact and intensity. We are in a difficult situation. Maybe we don't have a squad with the mental qualities needed for a relegation battle. I know it is a difficult objective for us, but we still have two games left to save our season. Nothing is finished yet. We need to finish the job. Everyone is aware that Monaco are in a difficult situation. We need to keep going."

Friday, May 10, 2019

 AS Saint-Etienne 0-1 Montpellier Hérault SC