In the second round of the Champions League, Lille defeated Real Madrid 1-0 at home. After the match, Lille manager Genesio attended the press conference and gave an in-depth summary of the match and expressed his expectations for the team's future development.
Genesio began by summarizing the game, "I think we played well in the first half and then in the second half we saw the team working together. There were effective offensive performances from both sides, and we have to thank the fans for their support. Their enthusiasm gave us an extra boost."
Speaking about the future, Genesio said, "We've seen the players share all their emotions with the fans, and that's the beauty of the sport and the reason we work. But we need to keep our feet on the ground and keep working hard. The points are just a blip on the radar, what's more important is the experience we had by being able to win this game the way we did, and that will be invaluable for the team going forward."
Genesio spoke highly of the performance of young player Ayub Buadi: "I am very happy. He turned 17 today and showed us all his talent. He had some minor injuries before but is now recovering. He deserves to play at this level and I am sure he will do even better in the future."
Speaking about comparisons with famous managers such as Pep Guardiola and Carlo Ancelotti, Genesio said, "I'm very proud that someone compared me to them. But from Carlo (Ancelotti) I learned his humility. He is recognized for all the work he does and to win in front of a coach like him is an honor for me. But this victory was a joint effort, a joint effort of the players, the coaching staff and the fans. I love celebrating with them."
In terms of tactics, Genesio revealed, "We used five defenders with the aim of strengthening the right side of the defense because we knew that our opponents had strong attacking abilities on both flanks. Our plan was to tighten up the defense so that the opposing forwards could not break through. It was a very successful decision overall."
In addition, Genesio said, "Before the game, we thought about putting pressure on our opponents. We played a high-pressure press and succeeded in many ways. We wanted to tackle the game without psychological pressure. Both results were favorable for us: we won and didn't limit ourselves to defense. The players made all the right choices, and then we had to hold on, because against a team like Real Madrid, a backlash is to be expected."
Finally, Genesio mentioned that there are three players in the squad who have beaten Real Madrid: "Yes, I think their performances are very positive. But more importantly, I'm very happy that they are with us. Their contribution off the field is just as important, and I think we made the most of all our resources, which is a big reason why the team was able to win."
