Journalist: Stade Brestois 29 have just got out of the red zone thanks to a fine victory at Strasbourg (0-1). Was it imperative to get points before travelling to Paris?
Pierre Lees-Melou: "It was a very important game for us because it was against a direct rival. We knew that it wouldn't be easy but we managed to respond to this challenge. It wasn't the best Ligue 1 Uber Eats match of the season but we had to take the three points. That's what we did, by showing solidarity and fighting values. These three points have done us good."

You're going to play PSG three days after their Champions League match. Is that an advantage?
"Not really, because PSG have a big squad, they don't just have 11 players. Their Champions League game may have an impact on our game on Saturday but they are still professionals. We know that it's never easy against Paris. But in the first match gains them this season, we only lost by one goal at the Parc (0-1) - and we missed a penalty at the end - so we're not assuming that it will be a defeat for us. We're going to try everything to get a result at home."

You have started 2023 well with a series of five games without defeat, during which you have beaten teams like Lens, Lille and Lyon. Do you feel that you have an easier time against this type of team?
"It's true that if you look at our results, you would think so! I have the impression that we managed to make fewer mistakes, to be more concentrated and more serious in those games. It's a pity, because we manage to pick up points against big teams but against teams in the lower half of the table, we have more difficulties. But to save ourselves, we have to beat our direct rivals, as we did against Angers and on Sunday against Strasbourg. We have to play in the same way whatever the opponent."

Is it a matter of concentration or rather of the opponent's style of play?
"I don't think it's a matter of concentration. You don't think it's going to be easier when you play a 'small' team because, given our situation, we can't take any game lightly. It's just that we don't always manage to control the game in the way we would like, like against Montpellier where we had a non-match (3-0 defeat on 12 February). Sometimes, there is no real explanation, it's just that we fall short..."

Before Brest, you had already played for survival with Dijon but the current season is particular with four downgrades in Ligue 2 BKT. Does it show on the pitch?
"It certainly does. The four downgrades scare everyone. There's a group that has broken away from the rest of the field and the maintenance will be played out between these 6-7 teams. But when you're playing for survival, you know that all the games are important and that it will come down to the last day. For us, it doesn't change much. It's always complicated to play for survival but that's our mission. It's up to us to succeed."

Several players arrived in Brest this winter, including Loïc Rémy. Can you give us some news about him?
"He is in the recovery phase. He is running. We can't wait to have him on the pitch with us because he will bring us his experience and his background. That can only be good for us!"

'I don't care if I have the armband or not'

This season, you are playing in front of the defence, deeper than where you have played in the last few years...
"Even if it's not my favourite position, it's a role that I like and that I know because I've played there a few times before - at Nice with Patrick Vieira and last season at Norwich. It's a different role, one in which you are more at the start of the action than at the end of it, but I like it. The coaches put me there so that I could be more involved in the construction of the game, to find passes into space, not just to defend. It's true that there are games where it's more complicated to play with the ball, but as I like to play short and clean, I enjoy this position. I've always been a hard-working player, with a box-to-box profile, so I've never minded running for miles."

Are there times when you have to hold yourself back from pushing up?
"No, because I have a good understanding with the other midfielders in the team. When one of us goes up, another one automatically takes his place. Against Strasbourg, I pushed up two or three times without asking myself any questions because I knew that Hugo Magnetti or Haris Belkebla would slide in for me. We've managed to develop a complementarity that means we are not obliged to stay in a fixed position; we know that a partner will take our place if we push up."

What reflexes do you have to adopt or lose when you're playing in front of the defence?
"The first thing is that I can't afford to hang around in the opposition half [laughs]. And in front of the defence, you have to be even bettering possession, try to dribble less... When you lose the ball in an eight or ten position, there are people behind you to sure things up but now... That's why you have to be cleaner and defend a bit more too. But in the challenges and in the aggressiveness, I feel that I have evolved, thanks to my year in England."

Check back for Part II of our interview with Pierre Lees-Melou tomorrow.

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