After a 2-0 defeat against Stade Brestois on Wednesday evening, FC Nantes coach Antoine Kombouaré remained confident about his team’s chances of avoiding relegation.
Although Nantes is now 17th in Ligue 1, Kombouaré assured that he would not give up on his players stating, “I will fight until the end. I am a fighter. Afterwards, people can make the decisions they want. I am convinced that we will stay up. On June 4th we will be out of [the relegation zone].”
With Kombouaré’s job security being called into question, the French coach acknowledged that the defeat against Brest was a setback, but he insisted that his team still had a chance to avoid relegation. With five games left in the season, he urged his players to work hard and move on from the defeat, “Our heads were at the final. There are 5 matches left, we have to work to win on Sunday,” he said in a press conference, transcribed by RMC Sport.
In defense of his goalkeeper the Nantes coach also refused to blame the defeat against Brest on Alban Lafont, who made a costly mistake in the match. Instead, Kombouaré emphasized that the team needs to work together to improve their performance on the field.
With matches against Strasbourg, Toulouse, Montpellier, Lille, and Angers still to come, Nantes faces a tough battle to avoid relegation, but facing direct rivals for the drop, Les Canaris’ destiny remains in their own hands.
GFFN | Tony DesRois
