‘Football is not a fixed logic,’ the quotes before the derby

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Habib Beye

The squad
‘Alidu (Seidu) took a blow to the head, so we're waiting to see how that develops. Frankie and Abdelhamid (Aït Boudlal) are out with adductor injuries.’

The tension surrounding the refereeing of the match against Lyon

‘I'm not speculating on what might have happened or what will happen. We've also been on the receiving end of some decisions, and I've always said that I don't question the referees' decisions. If there had been a red card (for Anthony Rouault on Khalis Merah), it wouldn't have been a scandal, and I don't want to go back over that.’

The three points

‘I prefer to focus on the game. The notion of a robbery is wrong when I look at our dominance statistics, the number of shots, passes in the opposition's box... Our almost total domination in the second half leads me to believe that this victory is deserved. We beat an undefeated team, a second ’big" team after Marseille. In football, no result is a matter of chance. We scored three well-constructed goals, and I'm happy with the team's performance. The second half was one-sided."

The return to La Beaujoire

‘We haven't discussed this, the players have enough experience to deal with this particular situation. I'll talk to them if necessary, and I think they're mature enough.’

Joining a club that was once a rival

"There aren't many Maldini-style careers anymore, as football has entered a different era in terms of competition. This sense of identity must be strong when a player has spent four or five seasons at a club; we mustn't forget what has been achieved. I believe that there isn't just one club in your life, and we saw that with the exceptional tribute to Steve Mandanda. What matters is how you defend the shirt when you wear it. Sometimes players become attached to a club and the club tells them to leave. That's how modern football is at the moment."

The importance of animation

"What matters to me is animation. Football is not a fixed logic, it is a game of dynamism, rhythm and movement. "

Mathys Silistrie on the bench last week

‘The goalkeeper hierarchy has been defined by the club. We want to promote our young goalkeepers because they have potential, and Mathys has improved enormously during pre-season. He shows us every day that he is capable of being Brice Samba's understudy.’

Travelling without supporters

‘It's always a shame because supporters bring extra spirit and they should be able to experience these moments of spectacle at the stadium. People need to be able to support their club.’

The opposition

‘I don't see Nantes playing with a low block. They're a team that has the ability to come at us and force us to defend. Nantes have improved a lot since the friendly match with a very compact line-up, and they don't concede many chances. So it's up to us to be precise, clinical and take advantage of the few gaps they give us.’

Mousa Al-Tamari's progress

‘We're working on his consistency in training. Mousa is a talented player who has a big impact on the team and on the opposition, but he needs to be more consistent. He's a very dangerous player in behind the defence and very good in one-on-one situations.’

Luis Enrique in the stands with Paris, a different perspective on the game?

"I'm totally convinced by that. The first person I saw doing that was Sam Allardyce at Newcastle. He watched the start of the match from the stands before coming down at half-time. Here, we have a member of staff in the stands who is liaising with an assistant. This dominant position gives you information. Coaches also feel more comfortable being down below, as it's the players who are the driving force behind the game plan. "

The role of Hans Hateboer

‘He has a full role to play like any other player in the squad as long as he is part of the squad on 2 September, just like Glen Kamara. Hans is in contention for a starting place, whether as a right-back, right-sided midfielder or wing-back.’

Kader Meïté's status after his sensational debut

‘I didn't need him to score to start him. Kader started against Marseille and Lorient. We have different options, it could be Kader with Breel, or Kader with Estéban. We want the strongest team. Against OL, it was the impact players who changed the game.’

The Ballon d'Or award ceremony on Monday

‘PSG has had such a great season that it could be any number of players. Ousmane's season has been staggering in terms of statistics. He has embodied PSG's collective strength with his constant pressing and hunter's instinct. It would be a wonderful recognition for the Stade Rennais Academy and the club, a magnificent reward. His victory is a foregone conclusion.’

Estéban Lepaul

His first Nantes/Rennes
"It's a rivalry that speaks to me. I know it's a highly anticipated match and I'm familiar with the concept of a derby, having trained in Lyon. This fixture is important for the supporters, the people of Rennes. We want to approach the match in the best possible way and build on it before Lens. La Beaujoire? I played a match there and won, and I hope to repeat that on Saturday. "

The return of former Nantes players to La Beaujoire

‘We know the stadium will be hostile. For me, that's part of the job. On Saturday, we know they'll be fully embracing the fact that they're from Rennes. We're preparing well for this match so we're ready to go to war.’

The FFF overturning the VAR decision

‘There's not much we can do about it. Whether there was a red card or not, our job is to keep playing, and we won.’

The victory against OL

‘It was my first match at Roazhon Park, with great emotions, a magnificent atmosphere and this victory. We're very happy and we quickly turned our attention to Nantes.’

The red cards
"Honestly, it's positive aggression from the outset. For example, the cards in Lorient are anecdotal in terms of the foul itself. They are not particularly violent gestures and, above all, there is no malice involved. "

His connection with Breel Embolo

‘We had 24 hours to prepare before Lyon, and it's difficult to create a connection in such a short time. We regularly train together, with Kader as well, and we're working as hard as we can to build that rapport.’

Offensive competition

‘When you have high goals like we do here, you need to have that competition. The important thing is that it's healthy, and it is. We have three different profiles in terms of mentality and experience, and we complement each other. The goal is to work as hard as possible so that the coach has a tough choice when selecting his starting eleven.’