On the eve of Les Aiglons’ trip to Metz on Saturday (Matchday 19, 9pm CET), President Jean-Pierre Rivère and Coach Adrian Ursea spoke to the press about Le Gym’s current sporting situation, as an aside to the presentation of William Saliba.

Named as head coach of Les Aiglons on 4 December, Adrian Ursea has had a hectic first month in charge of OGC Nice, with 6 matches in 17 days. A schedule that the coach admitted isn’t exactly conducive to in-depth work during the week: "We had match after match from the start of December until the festive period, with matches every 3/4 days. It’s not work, they are just sessions to regenerate and recuperate. We have started to really work since 29 December and we need a little bit of time to be on the pitch and to recapture our feeling and touch, both as a team and individually. It’s definitely not an excuse but in order to hope for something positive, we need to build those automatic reflexes. The idea is to give a certain stability to the team, to try to stop all of these never-ending changes."

Jean-Pierre Rivère: "Only been at full strength for the 50 minutes at Angers…"

Reflexes that are difficult to find in a team that is constantly evolving due to injuries and absences. The latest to add to that list is Morgan Schneiderlin who picked up a calf injury at Brest  (2-0 on 6 January): "It's another serious blow for us, for the team. We need to make do without and find solutions. He's part of our spine, just like Dante. We've also been missing Kasper for quite a long time. When the spine isn't there then things aren't as straightforward. But it represents an opportunity for those competing for the place." 

Enforced absences that have also frustrated President Jean-Pierre Rivère, who was alongside the coach during the official presentation of William Saliba: "We are not looking for excuses, it’s part of football, but there are lots of injuries, Covid cases. We haven’t had our full team apart from the 50 minutes at Angers before Dante’s injury. We need to look at everything. We won’t drop our heads now, it’s far too early for that."

As Le Gym travel to Metz on Saturday (kick-off at 9pm), Adrian Ursea remained confident in his players’ ability to bounce back: "Not everything can by rosy throughout a season. There is fragility, that’s part of the life of a team but I am convinced that once we can recapture our link-up play and install fluidity in our play, we will get out of this period."