Wednesday, 1 May 2019

 Stade Rennais FC 2-2 AS Monaco 

Julien Stéphan (Stade Rennais FC coach): "I think that, in the second half, we lacked a bit of energy. We also should have killed the match off just after the break, when Benjamin Bourigeaud had a huge chance. I think if we had scored then, the match would have been over. But we know that at 2-0, a match is not over [Rennes were 2-0 down before beating PSG in the Coupe de France final]. They hit back hard and got a deserved leveller."

Leonardo Jardim (AS Monaco coach): "We were 2-0 down after the first half and we made it back to 2-2, so it's very much a point won in our battle against relegation. But it's just one point and we came here to try to get all three. Still, we deserved to level it up. That's how it is when you're fighting to stave off relegation: you have to be confident but at the same time there is fear. We conceded early, from our opponents' first attack, and the lads were shaken and conceded a second. But then, bit by bit, the team controlled its emotions and that was reflected in their play. When I arrived on 27 January, the situation was dire. We're fighting to save the club. February and March went very well for us but things are tougher now and we need to get another five or six points to make sure we save our skins."

Tuesday, April 30, 2019

 Montpellier Hérault SC 3-2 Paris Saint-Germain

Michel Der Zakarian (Montpellier Hérault SC coach): "When you take on Paris, score two levellers and then win it, you can only be over the moon. It showed that my team has character and quality. The victory was far from undeserved - the lads earned it. We'd like to have the stadium full like that more often - I hope it will be packed again for the Amiens match on Sunday. I won't talk about Paris - they have great players and a great coach. They are just going through a rough patch."

Thomas Tuchel (Paris Saint-Germain coach): "We made individual errors - big ones. When that's the case, it's very tough to win here in Montpellier. They are a very strong and aggressive team and you just can't afford to make individual errors like that. Our situation remains the same: we came here with 15 players plus two youngsters as we have so many injuries. This situation has been going on since February and that's too long. We're playing with players who were out injure for ten weeks and who come back after only two training sessions. The players have been over-used and the risks get treated with every match."

Sunday, April 28, 2019

 Olympique de Marseille 1-2 FC Nantes 

 LOSC 5-0 Nîmes Olympique 

Christophe Galtier (Lille coach): "We were not satisfied with the first half. Our opponents contained us well and created chances. Fortunately Mike (Maignan) was in inspired form in the first 10 minutes and we didn't make too many mistakes at the back. I asked my players to be calm but not patient - because you can fall asleep when you are too patient - and to create more movement to open up the spaces. That is what happened in the second half. That quicker way of playing created the spaces and we managed to make the most of our attacking potential. I am happy for all the goal-scorers but it was really important for the forwards to score so I am satisfied for Loïc (Rémy) and Rui (Fonte). We are averaging two points per match. We are having a great run and we need to make it exceptional by putting in a great performance at Lyon next Sunday. My players are young, care-free, but they are determined. They listen. They were already talking in the dressing room about the match on Sunday. We will be up against a very good side with enormous attacking potential. We know it will be a difficult match but we are ready."

Bernard Blaquart (Nîmes coach): "Lille are stronger than us, even if we played well in the first half. It is a shame that we played the way we did in the second half. Maybe we wanted to come back too quickly. Lille are a very, very good side, who play nice football and are clinical. We fell apart after we conceded the first goal. We knew we would have to stay compact but after that we left the doors open at the back. My team is learning and lacks experience. It hurts to concede five in the second half."

 AS Saint-Etienne 2-0 Toulouse FC 

Jean-Louis Gasset (Saint-Etienne coach): "We started really well. We needed to get the ball wide, put the pressure on and try to score a goal or two - and that's what we did. After that it was more difficult as Toulouse changed their system and put more impact into midfield. We defended well. We're on a run of five wins and a draw and in the last three games we have not conceded a goal. Even if there was a penalty, we have an extraordinary goalkeeper and Ruffier was great today."

Alain Casanova (Toulouse coach): "We wanted to start well but the opposite happened. We started disastrously. In the second half we got back and into it as they let us have the ball and gave us space. We needed to be more clinical. Had we scored the penalty then we would have made them doubt until the final whistle. The first half was too feeble to hope for any better than we got."

 OGC Nice 3-0 EA Guingamp 

Patrick Vieira (Nice coach): "I'm really very happy as we played a complete game both in attack and defence. With Dante playing at that level things look easier. Rennes winning the Coupe de France makes things more difficult and it will be much harder to finish fourth. Winning all our games until the end of the season is a good challenge. Youcef Atal is progressing and was rewarded for his efforts."

Jocelyn Gourvennec (Guingamp coach): "Nice were precise and too their chances and deserved the win. They hurt us with their transitions and we punished ourselves too by losing the ball to players such as Saint-Maximin or Atal, who has been playing further forward in the last two games and who was clinical. He's an electric player. We've always been able to come up with a response when our backs have been against the wall and we'll see what happens on Saturday against Caen."

 SM Caen 1-0 Dijon FCO 

Fabien Mercadal (Caen coach): "We're happy and relieved. We did what we wanted to do and played as a team, something that meant we had the whole stadium with us and felt stronger. The players proved they've not given up. We felt stronger even though it was touch and go at times. We now head into our last four games with our destiny in our own hands. That said, we're not getting carried away."

Antoine Kombouaré (Dijon coach): "When you mess up your own performance, all you can do is applaud your opponents. The worst thing is that even though we were poor we could have equalised at the end of the game because we had two big chances. I have faith in my squad for what's to come and they will react next week. Caen have moved ahead of us in the table but the important thing is that we're above them at the end of Week 38."

 Amiens SC 0-0 RC Strasbourg Alsace 

Christophe Pelissier (Amiens coach): "Strasbourg came here to shut up shop having conceded three goals in each of their two previous games. I expected that a bit. We needed to be better in the last 30 metres given they sat back and we needed to open the scoring when we had our good spell at the start of the game. At this stage of the season all points are important. We're missing the win that will free us up without any question."

Thierry Laurey (Strasbourg coach): "We weren't good because neither team wanted to leave themselves exposed. It was a tight match and at the end it was 0-0. We're picking up points and hanging in there and we gave the best of ourselves. I think it's great that Stéphanie Frappart is refereeing at the top level. I hope she'll perform even better in the women's World Cup and that people realise matches can be refereed by women."

 Angers SCO 1-1 Stade de Reims 

Friday, April 26, 2019

 Girondins de Bordeaux 2-3 Olympique Lyonnais