You have been in France for three seasons, in Ligue 1, after your time at Liverpool... we also know that your departure from Valencia was difficult. How is your life in Nantes? Are you happy in France?
Yes, it's three seasons here, more precisely two and a half. I was able to consolidate myself in the team, to become an important player... I am very comfortable here in France. I like the city of Nantes, my family and I have adapted very well. Against Juventus, it will be my 100th game in two and a half seasons. It's huge, it's a lot of games and I'm very happy with the way things are going here and I hope it will continue like this for a long time.
Two and a half seasons and a title won last season: the French Cup. 20 years later, a club as historic and mythical as Nantes is back to lift a trophy... Tell us about your experience. We know that PSG are always favourites in this competition. There was a crucial match in the semi-final against Monaco where you won on penalties, then the final against Nice... What was your mentality throughout the rounds?
Last season, we had a very good season in Ligue 1. And that allowed us to play on both levels: the cup and the league. The fact that we were in the top ten for most of the season and that we played very well throughout the year gave us a lot of peace of mind. This allowed us to experience the French Cup matches in a very special way. From the quarter-finals onwards, we saw that we could achieve our objective, that we were close to being able to do it. Then we were lucky enough to play the semi-final against Monaco at home.
It was an incredible match, I think it will go down in the club's history. We managed to get through on penalties and then, in the final, we were superior against OGC Nice. We played a very solid match, on all the lines, we managed to take advantage of the counter-attacks perfectly. All this allowed us to score at the beginning of the second half and from then on, the team felt very comfortable in a low block. With 1-0 in our favour, we were confident to defend well in this way.
The victory in this final was deserved and in the end I am very happy with the way the game went and with the fact that we gave this title to the club and to the city of Nantes.
That allowed you to reach the Europa League. That's football! From the heated play-off matches against Toulouse in the 2020-2021 season, when the club changed coaches before Kombouaré took over for good, to qualifying for Europe a season later... unbelievable...
My first season here was a learning experience. When we returned from the pre-season, the following season to the play-off, we came back to the pitch with a different motivation. With a real desire not to relive what we had experienced - which was a very complicated season. Then, I think we made a very good start in Ligue 1. And that allows you to gain confidence and play without pressure. Last season was very positive for everyone and it's largely due to what we experienced the season before, the year of Toulouse. With that experience, we managed to get important things the following season.
You said that the most important match of your career was the one in Toulouse. Is that true? Tell us about it...
Yes, I have always said that the second leg of the play-off against Toulouse was the most important game of my career. I had never felt so much pressure as a player. It wasn't just me or the team that was going down, but a whole club, a structure. People who were going to be out of work. It was in a complicated social context with the pandemic and Covid. And I've always said, that's the most important thing. It has nothing to do with other matches I've played in the French Cup or the Europa League, or matches I've played with Liverpool, which are incredible matches. But from a personal point of view and from a group and club point of view, the most important was the one in Toulouse.
What is it like to work with Antoine Kombouaré? Did you feel right away that he was different from his predecessors?
The team has improved since his arrival. He set up a base with standards and rules for the well-being of the group. That did us good and we saw the results right away. For his first match, we went to play in Angers and we won 1-3 and then we drew against Marseille. So the start was good and by the end of the first season with him, we had managed to get 4 or 5 consecutive wins, which allowed us to get 40 points and be in the play-offs. And well, the next season, everybody saw what we managed to win. And this season, even if it's a bit more complicated in Ligue 1, the fact that we are alive in all three competitions says a lot about the work that is being done.
You are one of the first-choice players under him, an essential player in any system. At the heart of the game as number 6, a real lung and launching pad. Did Antoine Kombouaré allow you to progress as a player?
Regardless of the system, I think he shows that he counts on me a lot. And he showed it from the first game and I try to return the favour as soon as I play and it's true that I feel very comfortable in this position. In optimal conditions that allow me to give everything I have and to help the team with my qualities in every game.
Now, against Juventus, "all for the love of the game and the pleasure" as we say here, right? Ludovic Blas spoke after your victory against Lorient and said that you should take advantage of the Europa League. You are going to play against a historic club, which is not going through its best period... "But Nantes will go to Turin on Thursday to try and get a result, right?
It's true that Ligue 1 is the most important for us this season, even more so because of the fact that there are four teams going down. Now, the match against Juventus is a very special match. It's a game for fun, as Ludo Blas said. But we are going there with ambition and with the aim of getting a positive result in Turin, to arrive, why not, in Nantes, alive, in front of our public of the Beaujoire, a public which has a lot of weight and which is very important for us. We want to have options and why not qualify and play a great match. We're going with this intention, not only to take advantage, but also to get a good result to be alive for the return match.
Whatever happens, your number one objective is to stay in Ligue 1. The beginning of the season was difficult but today, with the victory against Lorient at home, in one of the Breton derbies, a team that is doing very well this season, you have taken a 10-point lead over Strasbourg and Ajaccio, the first relegation places. That's positive, isn't it?
As I said, the main objective of the team is to stay in Ligue 1. This year is different because of the fact that there are four downgrades. I think it's very important that the club stays in Ligue 1. And yes, our first objective is that. From there, as you said, since 2023 we have lost only one match. We have found a defensive balance that allows us to accumulate points and it's true that the last two wins have done us a lot of good. Now we are 10 points ahead of the red zone and that gives us more confidence for the next games.
Is it difficult to maintain last season's level?
We knew that this season was going to be different. We weren't used to playing every three days and that changes the routine of a group like Nantes. From a psychological point of view and from a physical point of view, you give 200%. It's true that at the beginning of the season, we had trouble getting points in Ligue 1 after the European matches.
And that's where we're going to try to improve. We know now what we have to do, there are no more excuses. And we will try, after matches in Europe like this Thursday in Turin, to have good results at the weekend. As the coach often says, what feeds us every day is Ligue 1. However, as I said, the team is used to it and knows what to expect. The transfers this winter also allow us to have more experience to manage this kind of situation. These are quality players who will help us, that's for sure (Mollet, Joao Vitor, Andy Delort).
Toulouse, the most important match of your career... Imagine that the next most important match is against Juventus. It's a historic match, because in the 1995-1996 season, Nantes put in the best performance in their history in Europe, despite being eliminated (a 3-2 win in Nantes, after losing 2-0 in Turin). Would you manage another performance of this kind?
I've heard a lot here about that game. A very important and great match in the history of the club. I won't promise it for you, because Nantes got knocked out (laughs). Despite the 3-2 victory at the time, they were eliminated, and we want to go to Turin to play a great match and get a very good result. And to arrive at the Beaujoire, in the second leg, with options to qualify, at home, because we are better here, and with the public, it is much easier.