Julien Stéphan, the Stade Rennais coach. - Insidefoto / Sipa USA / SIPA

"Staying focus on the ground" despite the health context. While his team will launch its season on Saturday on the Lille pitch, Stade Rennais coach Julien Stéphan would have liked to talk only about football this Thursday at noon at a press conference. But the coronavirus pandemic, which affects several Ligue 1 clubs and threatens the resumption of the championship, hides any other subject for the time being. Without necessarily being "worried", the young Breton coach is in any case "very attentive to the situation".

And this requires daily vigilance within the club. "We try to control as much as possible what we can control, such as respecting barrier gestures or having our loved ones tested," he says. We also get tested regularly like this morning and we cross our fingers every time ”.

The very strict instructions issued by the club seem in any case to have been well assimilated by the players of Stade Rennais, where no positive case for Covid-19 has yet been noted. “We really pay attention on a daily basis,” assures captain Damien Da Silva. We try not to go out too much and not meet people, even some friends. And we often repeat it among ourselves because we know very well that this can handicap an entire group ”.

A mad desire to find the grounds and the competition

In this context, it is difficult to project very far into the season. “We will see how the situation evolves,” emphasizes Julien Stéphan. We hope it will be an exceptional episode but for all that, we must expect everything and be prepared for everything. We will adapt anyway, we have to be in a permanent adaptation with regard to the health situation ”.

In the meantime, the Rennes coach and players are impatient at the idea of ​​returning to the Ligue 1 pitches. “It's been several months since we stopped the competition and we are being offered the opportunity this weekend to resume it. , we only think of that, ”emphasizes Julien Stéphan. "Especially since we see matches every night on television at the moment, it makes you want to play in our turn", continues Damien Da Silva, sharper than ever according to his statements despite these six months of stoppage.

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  • Reindeer
  • Covid 19
  • Coronavirus
  • Julien Stephan
  • League 1
  • Rennais Stadium
  • Soccer
  • Sport