France – A. Jacquet: “We have one watchword: vigilance, more vigilance and yet more vigilance”

Aimé JACQUET:

Comments from Gosnay (fifteen kilometres from LENS)

“For the last forty eight hours, we’ve been keeping ourselves very focused. The serious stuff starts now for us because this second round tie against PARAGUAY is not going to be easy.

The players have spent the last few days mainly trying to regather their physical strength, but the French squad is still keeping itself in the same frame of mind and holding on to the same values and the same way of expressing itself. The main thing for us is to get the most out of our players, so that each one is totally committed to what we’re doing and can then express himself and share fully in what we are trying to achieve.

There has been a huge amount of pressure on us right from the start of the World Cup. We have to live up to the image that people have had of us up until now.

PARAGUAY is a team that can attack on the break, is very organised and has a good defence; they are solid, unselfish and they can break out at any moment. We’ve prepared ourselves well for this encounter. I want the team to go out there and take charge of the game, to control the way it’s played and, depending on what our opponents do, adapt their game accordingly and, above all, to come into this game in a positive frame of mind.

It remains to be seen what kind of psychological state these opponents will put us in. PARAGUAY is a very modern side. A squad with this quality can change mood very quickly. We need to be extremely level-headed and patient. I think that this French team, with its wealth of worldly experience, will be able to adapt on its own.

It’s better to go to extra time than to be knocked out inside normal time…We have to be patient too; There is a time for everything; for build-up and for finishing. An individual moment and a collective moment. We have to stay focused on the game.

This match is psychologically easier for PARAGUAY to approach. But as far as we are concerned the key to this match is possibly to be found on a collective level. Every choice is difficult. Whatever the match, you have to take everything into consideration and, from that, plan to make sure that FRANCE will be the better team. Decisions are taken with a great deal of professionalism and attention to detail.

We have one watchword: vigilance, more vigilance and yet more vigilance.”