Pierre Lees-Melou talked to the press and delivered a heartfelt interview after feeling “ashamed”, but in no way down and out, after the defeat to Dijon.

On the Dijon disappointment 

We can’t really put it into words. We had a massive chance early on in the game that we didn’t take. We conceded from our own corner and it just got out of hand after that. We’re not having much luck at the moment, but we can’t complain. We shouldn’t just be accepting situations like these; we’ve got to fight to turn them around. Unfortunately we just accepted our fate today. Even though we made it 3-1 it was far too late. 

On the Gym’s poor run of form 

We’re in a tough period and everyone can see that. But there’s no need to come out and exaggerate things. We addressed the issues in the dressing room, and we’ll do the same again if needs be. The only response that really matters is the one you give on the pitch. But it starts on the training ground by working hard. Yes, we’ve got some technical players, but we need to put some aggression into our game.

On the players’ state of mind

We don’t just come off the field after an awful game like Sunday’s and go home happy. We’re not proud of our performance. We’re ashamed, actually. We disappointed ourselves, our families, our supporters, everyone… We can’t just gloss over it. We’re in a tough period, but we’re not just going to give up and accept our fate. We’re going to show that we’re a team of professionals and we’re going to face up to our problems.

On everybody sticking together

That’s not the problem. We’re the ones out on the pitch. The coach gives his instructions and they’re very clear. After that it’s up to us to perform. The manager’s got nothing to do with our performance this afternoon (Sunday). He’s not the one playing. Unfortunately, we’re making mistakes and conceding silly goals. We’re not marking closely enough despite the fact that we’d spoken about being aggressive because they were struggling. We let them play the ball out far too easily whenever we lost it. That’s where it stems from. We needed to be more aggressive, to have more intensity to our play and to get back to basics.

On the Europa League 

It’s practically impossible. It’s hard to imagine that we’ll qualify. But we’re not going to go into the game and just say, “We might as well give up”. On Thursday we’ll need to show a different attitude. And we’ll need to do it against a good side and get back to our best.

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