Philippe Clement: "The team is growing"
What a great evening for the Rouge et Blanc! On Friday evening, to start the 32nd round of Ligue 1, AS Monaco pulled off a very big result by winning away to Stade Rennais (3-2). It was a success that allows Philippe Clement’s team to move to within three points of the Bretons, who are currently third. It was a result that satisfied the Belgian manager at a press conference.
Hello coach. We imagine you very satisfied after this victory against a direct competitor for the European places…
It’s not easy to concede a goal quickly here, but we stayed calm and I’m very proud of my players on that point especially, because we’ve talked about it a lot together in the last few weeks. We stayed in the game and it shows that the team is growing. We are on a run of five victories over the last six games, including one in Marseille, against Paris and here in Rennes. Now the most important thing will be to stay calm, ambitious and not be satisfied with only this because we still have six “finals” to play until the end of the league season.
What was your game plan to deal with this Rennes side?
We analyzed this team well, my staff and I, and we tried to create a organizational pan that allowed us to be solid, but at the same time to create chances. The players showed a lot of good things in this setup, knowing it is not easy to face this Rennes team.
More than ever, we must factor in AS Monaco in the race for Europe…
Of course, but not only AS Monaco. There are still a dozen teams that can claim a place in Europe, and therefore a lot of “finals” to play. This proves the level of Ligue 1, as having many quality teams. We are going to have to build on the good performances of the last few weeks in order to finish as high as possible in the standings.
What did you think of Vanderson’s performance, with a goal and an assist?
For me it’s difficult to focus on one player because everyone was good, especially the substitutes. But Vanderson is a young player with a lot of intelligence. He already understands French, he is always at the service of the team, regardless of the position in which I play him, and he improves with each match.
Now it’s time for the derby against Nice, Wednesday (7 p.m.)…
It’s a very important match for the fans and for the club, but we shouldn’t focus only on this derby. All of the matches that follow it will also be very important. We have to savor today but keep our feet on the ground and start preparing tomorrow for a big match on Wednesday.
