2023-04-28 21:43:23
“1h20 to come, welcome to Paris! “It is late on schedule that Antoine Kombouaré, appeared at a press conference this Friday afternoon on the eve of the final of the Coupe de France. Caught in traffic, the Nantes delegation will experience a second consecutive Coupe de France final with a particular taste. If Toulouse is already maintained, Nantes will play its future in L1 next week (Brest, Strasbourg). “Them, in their head, they are quiet, us, it is a little more complicated at the moment, smiles the coach of Nantes. Compared to last year, it’s different. We feel like we haven’t done our job in the league. The start of the week was complicated after Troyes. But on Tuesday, I managed to switch seeing all our supporters. And the further it goes, the more I hunger for victory. We should not look for excuses. At the end of the championship, Toulouse will be ahead. They are much better than us. But it’s a final, so 50/50 because Toulouse is in a good dynamic and we are a little in difficulty. »
But for Nantes, this final also risks conditioning the rest. “As of Saturday evening, it will be necessary to switch. But I am convinced that winning the Cup final will give us the energy and the strength to go for the maintenance. A completely different result could complicate Wednesday’s match against Brest… But beware, I’m happy to be here. I feel privileged to play this final with my favorite club. I am here to give serenity and confidence to my group. We’ll see if I’m a good manager or not… As for the social context, the demonstrations, we have to ignore them. But all that bothers me I understand, I also have family who suffers. I hope it will be alright. »
“It’s up to you to decide who is the favourite…”
A few minutes with the Nantes, it was Philippe Montanier and his captain Brecht Dejaegere who presented themselves in the large auditorium of the Stade de France. Big smiles, little jokes… Toulouse’s relaxed attitude contrasted with Nantes’ seriousness. A year ago, Téfécé was still battling in L2. “You have to savor the road traveled, but we are so obsessed with going higher that it is difficult to measure the road travelled,” underlines Montanier. We realize and we appreciate this moment. There are a lot of positive vibes around us. Bringing the cup back to the Capitol would be an exceptional moment and a personal satisfaction. We represent a club, a city, an entire region. We received lots of messages and videos of encouragement from Stade Toulousain, there is a real brotherhood between us. There are very few cities in France that can be in the spotlight tomorrow with us and rugby on the European scene. We will try to put Toulouse and all of Occitania at the highest level. »
Montanier then addressed the audience: “It’s up to you to decide who is the favourite… On the one hand there is the reigning winner, and on the other a team which comes from L2. Nantes has European experience and players who have averaged 200 L1 games. Afterwards, it’s true that we are a little better ranked; But we must not take into account the dynamics of the championship. Nantes showed it by losing heavily at home against Reims (0-3) and making a fantastic semi-final three days later against Lyon. »
Asked about the possibility that Téfécé could not participate in the Europa League in the event of success, because of common owners with AC Milan (RedBird Capital), Montanier did not get wet: “Each day is enough for its task. Tomorrow we will be there to win the Coupe de France. For Europe we will see later. »
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