Goal ! : Zaydou, the Greens at the top of Ligue 1 after playing in Marseille and Nantes *. Would you have believed it in early August?
Zaydou Youssouf: Of course we believed it! We know that we have a good group, united, homogeneous with young people but also the oldest. We knew we were able to do great things. Even being first in the standings after a few days …
How can we explain the change of face between ASSE at the beginning of the year, in difficulty in L1 and that of today?
Last year, we had a special season. We missed our start to the season. The coach has changed, the workforce has moved a bit. Over time, we managed to create a good group. We forged links. Between players, we all get along very well and that’s also why the results and the game are there.
How far can this young team go? Do you think you have the weapons to last the season?
Yes I hope ! Now it is important not to ignite. What we have done so far is good but a season is still long. That’s 38 days, not four or five. There will be a lot of matches. Sometimes it will be more complicated. It’s up to us to do what it takes to stay at the top of the table as long as possible. In any case, we are armed to last obviously …
Since the start of the season, you have already experienced great joys, but in a fairly confidential atmosphere due to the Covid-19. How do you feel about the absence of an audience and what does it do to the group?
Obviously we miss the public. Especially in Geoffroy-Guichard. We find ourselves deprived of one more. Sometimes this absence helps us. I’m thinking in particular of the victory in Marseille where we played in a less tense atmosphere than usual at the Vélodrome. For the younger ones or those entering the field, there is a little less pressure. But hey … We are above all professionals. We must ignore the context. For a while, some matches will have to be played behind closed doors, others with 1,000 or 5,000 spectators. It’s up to us to win them over and do the right thing for the people watching us …
“I see myself as a privileged person”
Claude Puel has started a new project by separating from experienced players to make room for young people. How does the locker room experience these cycle and generation changes?
It is true that we have a lot of young players but there are also older ones to cement it all. They maintain the group, they give advice, motivate us … The strength of our team is the osmosis that emerges from this locker room above all.
Last year, you started at ASSE with Yann M’Vila. Did you feel saddened to see him go or did you say to yourself “now it’s my turn to take on more responsibility”?
Yann is someone who has given me a lot. We were often aligned together in the middle last year (until the injury of Zaydou Youssouf in December, Editor’s note). When I arrived in Sainté, he gave me a lot of advice. But it’s football, it’s life that wants that: he’s gone. Now I tell myself that if, in my turn, I can help the youngest – through some advice that Yann gave me – I would do it with great pleasure.
So you are ready to take on the role of big brother for the young Lucas Gourna-Douath for example?
Sometimes I see myself in him. He arrived very young in the pro group. He trains every day with us, starts to come in during the match being pretty good … As I’ve been there too, I try to give him some advice. In this environment, everything goes very quickly. You have to be ready and not let go. When you are young and have your chance, you have to seize it.
Is this rejuvenation forced by the economic aspect giving rise to new wardrobe leaders?
Compared to last year, there have not been huge changes in this area. It is often the same people who speak. The oldest such as Mathieu Debuchy, Jessy Moulin, Romain Hamouma or Timothée Kolodziejczak. They are the spokespersons for the locker room. Lately, other young people are revealing their characters. It’s good for the group.
You have a fairly linear journey between Bordeaux and ASSE, but this is not the case for certain recruits like Yvan Neyou or Jean-Philippe Krasso with more “dented” career paths. What do these players bring in terms of experience? Do you discuss it with them?
It is true that in the locker room, some have experienced some difficulties. We discuss each other’s stories, the difficulties they may have experienced when others have a more classic career path. Personally, when I speak with them, I see myself as privileged: I went to the Bordeaux training center, then I came here and it went rather well. Apart from my injury, we can not really say that I struggled compared to those who have not known training centers or were stranded for a long time in reserve. It’s nice to see them today at ASSE and to see them win. This shows that with work, we can come back a long way.
For many observers, Yvan Neyou is the pleasant surprise of the start of the season. Did its express integration surprise you?
Surprised, no. From the first practice, we realized that he had quality and that he would be a very good player for us. The hardest thing to understand when you see him is why Braga never tried to make him play in the first team? But hey, that’s their problem and good for us! Yvan is a great player.
PS: The rest of the interview with Zaydou Youssouf can be found tomorrow on our site, at 6 a.m.