Tousart : "I want to take the next step"

Published on 11 September 2019 at 5:48 PM by KR

Tousart : « Je veux franchir un palier »

After his coach, it was the turn of French defensive midfielder Lucas Tousart to address the press this Wednesday afternoon at the Groupama OL Training Center.

The international break

"It 's the first time since I was 17 that I haven't been called up for international duty. It's quite special to have extra days of rest and train with a small group. There is a bit of sadness not being with the French team, but it feels good to be able to clear my head. "

The match against Amiens

"The game against Amiens is the last before the Champions League and will allow us to refine our play. It will be necessary to be physically ready to play ahead of this series of matches. The matches before the Champions League are still a bit peculiar, but the best situation is to havea godd feelng about the side before entering the European Cup. Playing Friday gives us time to prepare for Tuesday's game. Amiens have not made a good start to the championship. There have been a lot of changes this season and this is an opportunity for us, we will have to press further on that. They will try to apply pressure from the start, but our technical quality must allow us to take over. It's up to us to put some speed into our passing game and dictate the tempo. "

The beginning of the season

"The beginning of the season has been pretty good overall. There have been some big changes this summer, we are in a period of transition. The principles are being learned day by day and we prepare our best for each match, including the Champions League, which is coming soon. The changes made this summer have been pretty good. The last two matches are mistakes not to be repeated in the future. It's important to finish the matches with eleven men. The two cards are different, but we must control our tempers in certain circumstances. This has prevented us from finishing twice with eleven, as all the teams are not yet ready physically and this has been seen in these last two meetings. "

His personal situation

"I have experienced this type of start to the season before. I arrived late because of the Euro with the U-21s, so I learned to play with the new players quite late. Little by little, I knew how to impose myself and the coach knows he can count on me. He knows my qualities and has made some choices in the beginning of the season. I am satisfied with my performances for now. Juninho's words have made a lot of impact, maybe a little too much. It was misinterpreted by the press, which probably amplified the thing. It's not necessarily fun, but after talking with him, I understood what he really meant. He acknowledged that it was a communication error on his part. It happens, we've all been wrong before with the media. I do not linger on that, I prefer to move on. I've been here for a while. With what happened this summer, I did not necessarily have a very important role during the preparation for the season, but I plan to become a leader during the season. I want to take a step forward and become even more important to my teammates. I consider myself more of a leader through my actions on the pitch. Everyone has their role and of course I would like to become a leader, but for that, you have to play every game. I think I can be this type of technical sentry. I have the ability to restart play, the coach asks me to be a sort of launching pad. He wants the game to go through me during the possession phase. I'm learning a lot with the coach and Juni. My style of play may have been typecast in recent years but I'm trying to develop every aspect of my game. "

The group mentality

"No matter how much work goes into tactics, if players do not have the desire, it can not work. The most important thin is the state of mind and attitude. This has been a problem for us in previous seasons. We have seen in the first two games, if all players are focused, we can do beautiful things. All the players made the effort together and it triggers a positive dynamic within the group. When you do press, it's up to the attackers to start before the rest of the team follows suit. In previous seasons, we have not managed to be close enough to Paris to threaten them. The championship is not necessarily played in head to head matches, but more during matches like the one on Friday. Paris have never allowed us to be close enough to challenge them, so it's up to us to get the points so we do not let them run away. "

The competiton

"The competition is not just a match or two, but the whole season. When we have a bad match, it can put the competition into jeopardy. This year, it's going pretty well. The coach is very attentive to what happens during practice and matches to create the healthiest level of competition possible. It can not be said yet that I was out of the game, even if this beginning of the season has boosted my confidence. Football is a collective sport, but also individual in these situations. We think as a team, but everyone has their own personal goals. "

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