After the success of the Northerners against Arsenal, the Lensois coach expressed his “pride.”
In the wake of RC Lens’ exploit against Arsenal (2-1) on Tuesday in the Champions League, Sang et Or coach Franck Haise, at a press conference, expressed his “pride“, immediately elevating this meeting among its “notable matches».
How do you feel after this achievement?
«We feel a lot of pride in what the players have achieved. We tried to put in the same way as against Sevilla (1-1 in Andalusia, editor’s note). But there, it was a step above. We had to be up to the task, first of all on the defensive aspects. We wanted to recover and cause problems on their first outings. Then use the ball as intelligently as possible. In the word pride, yes, there is the fact of having had this character after the goal conceded. The high level requires a lot of character. We had a good start, it’s true. Then, we have this first lost ball… I am even more proud that the players, including Adrien Thomasson, picked it up straight away! Surprisingly, or not, he equalized with an exceptional goal. This will be one of the notable matches of the period that I am experiencing, and that I will continue to experience with RC Lens.»
In line with the recent good performances of RC Lens, does this match mark the return to their best level of the squad managers?
«All teams in France and elsewhere need their managers at the highest level. When all your executives, at the same time, are at the level they were this evening, or in the evolution of these last weeks, it is necessarily easier for the team, for those who arrive or those who are in the project.»
What did you think of Elye Wahi’s performance?
«Elye Wahi, in every match and every training session, moves forward. It is reality. He is making great strides. The goal scored on Friday in Strasbourg was victorious (in Ligue 1, 1-0 for Lens, editor’s note). Tonight’s too. This shows that he is also a high quality scorer.»
