As the match against Twente approaches this Thursday, Nice’s coach, Franck Haise, emphasized in a press conference the importance of continuing their winning streak. The goal: to qualify for the next stage of the Europa League.
As usual, Franck Haise remained cautious in the press conference before this promising fixture against the Dutch team Twente (Thursday, 6:45 p.m., at Allianz Riviera): “We’ve had two very good results but with somewhat inconsistent performances. This means we still have room for improvement,” assured the coach of OGC Nice, while maintaining a rather realistic neutrality, thanks to his experience!
However, he also insisted on the necessity of securing a third consecutive victory to ensure a place in the group stage of this Europa League, while giving a mental boost to his players: “If we beat teams playing in the Champions League” (Monaco and Brest) with room for improvement, that’s pretty good,” he praised, a sly smile on his face and eyebrows raised in a sign of unabashed pride.
Haise: “We also have three injured and one suspended!”
Franck Haise knows well that his team is still mentally fragile, even though they have shown a strong personality when under pressure. Much like they are precisely by facing this good team of Twente, which is not easy to handle, according to the Nice coach himself. “I really like this team, which I have been watching more over the past few weeks. When you draw at Manchester United (1-1) and give Fenerbahçe a hard time (1-1) […] It’s a very dynamic team, which projects itself, attacks in numbers, and is very good technically,” acknowledges the Nice coach, despite the absence of three key elements from Twente’s dynamic formation that has suffered two draws and a defeat in three Europa League matches, placing them only 28th, just one point behind Nice.
But is this reassuring? Does it make OGC a favorite? “We too have three key players who are injured (Boudaoui, Moffi, and Sanson) and one who is suspended for this match (Rosario). […] Both teams are close, even if they have two different styles. It’s really a very good team, and we’ll have to play a very good match to beat them, that’s certain,” adds Franck Haise with a knowing look, yet always calm.
A Warned Niçois is Worth Two!
The sluggish start in the Europa League raises many questions about the future of OGC in this competition, even though the team seems to have clearly found a second wind, suggesting a rather bright future. The team is functioning better, automatisms are setting in and results are appearing, even against the strong teams of Ligue 1, when the heart is brave. And Franck Haise knows it better than anyone and made sure to remind the media: “We know, with our first three results that we will need, in short, three victories from the last five matches to continue our European adventure. If it’s not all or nothing, it’s one of the three matches out of five we’ll have to win,” he concludes as if to remind everyone that a warned Niçois is worth two and that he especially wants three… points from this match against Twente!
Nacym Djender
