“Don’t just keep,” urges the Bordeaux coach

It’s a little messy for my taste. We started the season very well with four wins out of four. Then we had long-term injuries to Xavier Moreau and Mathieu Vignero, which was very disappointing. Then we had some time to adjust, even though we alternated between hot and cold. In Valence, Caen, Besançon, we had unworthy performances against teams in brackets…

It’s a little messy for my taste. We started the season very well with four wins out of four. Then we had long-term injuries to Xavier Moreau and Mathieu Vignero, which was very disappointing. Then we had some time to adjust, even though we alternated between hot and cold. We did poorly in Valence, Caen, Besançon against lower-ranked teams in brackets and then we were the only team to win in Dijon. In short, somewhat illogical results. This shows that this team is looking for its own identity, its own values. After all, we only live for a year and a half. So it’s all part of the construction process.

What were the consequences of the absence of Moreau and Vignero?

He worried us both in attack and defense. Xavier stood up and was quite effective. And he proposed interesting solutions. Mathieu in the 2nd position in defense and Xavier in the central sector were still very solid. Two sectors were disrupted and we had to find a balance, and it’s still a little shaky. But overall, we’re up, we’re in the middle of the table, it’s good.

Since you only have the 13th attack of the pro league, is shoe pinching not in the plan of attack?

We have a very high percentage of missed shots. We are not up to speed in this area. We try to understand them. We have nothing to envy anyone in terms of chances, but we shine all the goalkeepers, regardless of the team. It is a sweet sin that pains us. Because we could play matches faster and achieve higher success in attack and enter the first half of the tournament table.

On the other hand, you are one of the best defenders, isn’t that a paradox?

Yes, especially because we had very few goalkeeper saves. We are full of paradoxes. We are still researching to find efficiencies on both sides of the field. Because we were the best defense in the division for a long time until things dried up a bit at the end of the first game. But it is clear that if we could have put our chances to the last point, we would have won a few more matches. I hope we will have a little more success in terms of filming in the second one. When watching videos, our possibilities are great.

Another paradox, you got more points than at home, how do you explain it?

I have already experienced this in Toulouse. Do kids put a little pressure on themselves at home or not? We should also be able to be masters in our own home. There are a lot of questions because it is absolutely symbolic of a club that is looking for itself and we are trying to find some stability.

Coming off a month and a half hiatus, how were your thoughts with Benoît Peyrabout?

We realized we weren’t running enough, we weren’t putting ourselves forward enough on the quick marks and the rising ball. That’s why we focused the preparation for winter on this area. We’ve also made end-of-rise ball locks simpler and more focused on throwing. He was also very good in our warm-up matches. Now we see that this is more of a running team.

You’re the team with the most 2 minute eliminations out of 78 in total, isn’t that a point to fix?

Yes, but it doesn’t bother me too much in the sense that when you defend strongly, you expose yourself to it. After that, when you break them down, there are quite a few stupid mistakes, carelessness, delays in interventions, so yes, we need to fix that, we need to be cleaner, more coordinated, more precise. From time to time we have guys who get caught up in their passions.

What ambitions might the BBL have for this comeback phase?

I would like to go back a bit in the classification. Especially since we manage to achieve great things. We had a good tournament in Bordeaux, beating Jesson, who was then in Toulouse, in the warm-up. Now we must have this regularity. Giving up quality plays at one point and then being at the plate the next is intolerable. There is still no seriousness and consistency.

Playoff qualification, playable or not?

That would be the icing on the cake. I’ve never hidden the fact that I wanted to do them at the beginning of the season. Well, we didn’t plan on breaking two cross ties, even if it was part of a season. This goal is still a good one, you have to stick with it. Even if we can get the repairs done within a few weeks, we won’t have to settle for that.