Francesco Farioli spoke at the post-match press conference following OGC Nice's 1-2 defeat to FC Nantes on Sunday afternoon.

Coach, did you see the worst first half your team has played this season?

Definitely, yes. In the first half, we were almost unrecognisable. Results aside, this team has always shown character and desire. But in that first half, we didn't win a single duel, we didn't make a single pass with the desire to get a result. It was a very bad first half. In the second half, we had more desire, but we still lacked precision and clarity in our passing.

Marcin Bulka said that the problem was more individual than collective. Are there players who are no longer at the level or do not have the right attitude to play in this team?

My answer is always the same. We win and lose with eleven men, plus the substitutes and the coach. There wasn't much to take away from the start of the first half, there wasn't much in the way of substance. That's down to individual and collective situations. They go together and I think they're inseparable.

What did your players lack? Did your team underestimate Nantes?

No, not really. Nantes are a team that really hurt us in the first game and even in previous seasons, there's still the scar of the Coupe de France final we lost in 2022. Everyone was keen to get a result and we never underestimated Nantes. To say that we played well on the other hand, no. The start of the game was the worst of the season, there's no doubt about that, but we didn't underestimate our opponents in the slightest.

This is the ninth time your team has lost a match after conceding the opening goal. Is there a psychological problem there?

We got back level. It's hard to explain why, after scoring that goal and turning the game around, we conceded two chances in quick succession, starting with Sissoko's shot off target. On the next move, we lost another ball and Nantes were awarded a penalty. Something isn't right mentally, it's hard to explain it any other way.

What did you try to achieve with your changes?

We have five substitutions. We tried to inject some fresh blood into the match and change the dynamic a bit. They were simple changes.

When things aren't going well mentally, should you be tougher, tighten the screws or be more of a psychologist?

It depends, there's no standard answer. Sometimes you have to be a bit tougher, sometimes you have to be a bit closer to the players. I'm not really a strategist in that respect, I tend to follow my instincts. There's no specific plan. I try to be clear in my analysis, but I also like to follow my feelings and emotions.

What are the key points for turning things around?

In terms of analysis, I'm putting today's game to one side, because for the first time my answers are going in a different direction. We were unrecognisable from what our team has been up to now. We're going to take the time to look back at this match and see what more we could have done. But we're going to look at this match as a separate game.

How do you see the rest of the race for Europe?

There are still seven games to go. The table is very tight, and we've lost points on Brest, Monaco and Lille. But the race for Europe is still wide open for everyone. We're in the middle of this mini league. We're going to take it game by game. There are seven finals left.

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