Deschamps content as OM 'do the minimum'
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
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Didier Deschamps enjoyed an improved display from his Olympique de Marseille team as they beat MŠK Žilina 1-0, although the visitors promised a far tougher test in the return in Slovakia.
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Didier Deschamps was relieved to see his Olympique de Marseille team keep their hopes of progressing from Group F alive by defeating MŠK Žilina 1-0, but he believes there is plenty of scope for improvement. There may have to be, as Žilina boss Pavel Hapal promised that his side will be a tougher prospect on home soil in two weeks' time.
Didier Deschamps, Olympique de Marseille coach
We did the minimum tonight – to keep our hopes alive we had to win this game. It wasn't easy, especially in the second half. It was a better performance than against Nancy [a 1-0 win on Saturday], but there is still room for us to play better than we are. We have to play things simpler if we're to become more efficient.
We started the group badly with a couple of losses and we'll need another win in a fortnight to stay in the mix. It was tougher in the second half as we were tired but the most important thing is the result.
Pavel Hapal, MŠK Žilina coach
It was an interesting game and we were almost able to earn a point against strong opponents. It's a pity that we've lost as the game was very even, but I don't think anybody expected such a good performance from my team. Mathematically our chance of finishing in third place in Group F is still alive and we'll try to secure that. I believe that we'll play better in front of our own fans in the return match.