Nuno Da Costa: “Everything rests upon the squad”

When you arrived at Strasbourg, you talked about getting started in Ligue 1 as the second step of your career. How did you find that moment in Lyon?
NDC: Just as I expected: with a difficult match. The difference compared to Ligue 2 is huge. Everything goes more quickly, everything is more precise. With OL, we knew that we were facing a team that isn’t part of “our” league. Now we know what to expect in the future. It was a baptism of fire in Ligue 1 for several of us, but what counts now is learning the lessons from it. Not everything was bad, far from it, but there are lessons to be learned. We’ll have to adapt and learn quickly. We need to approach these matches against the league’s big teams with less respect. They should help us to progress in order to be as efficient as possible against the less challenging sides.
Lille are another ambitious team. Did their display against Nantes worry you?
NDC: I saw that match against Nantes on TV and I wasn’t surprised. With Marcelo Bielsa, I can see the same characteristics as when he was at Marseille, with the way he likes to take advantage of the opponent’s faults. Like at Lyon, it’ll be a match between a promoted side and a team that wants to play for the top spots. It’s not a question of worrying, but of trying harder and being more aggressive in the positive sense of the word. Lille put a lot of pace into their matches, so it’s up to us to raise our level. We might need to be patient but, most of all, we mustn’t think twice about making runs to help out a teammate.
What does the team’s future rest upon?
NDC: Collectively, it’s obvious. We already spoke about the Lyon match: everything rests upon the squad. Everyone is involved. It’s not certain that the same eleven players will start two matches in a row. There’s no Neymar here, no Mbappé, just a group of lads who will all bring something to the project. If we’re all irreproachable as far as that’s concerned, then we’ll be fine. I always use the example of a guy like N’Golo Kanté. Despite his status at Chelsea, you can see that he takes pleasure in making an effort for the others. He fights for the team, and he always does it with a smile. He’s a real role model. That’s the kind of attitude we’ll need to have in order to be decisive.
It’s also the first Ligue 1 match in Strasbourg in almost ten years. What do you feel like telling the fans at the Meinau?
NDC: I’d tell them to stay the way they’ve been for years now. It’s pretty exciting to see this stadium back in Ligue 1. I hope that they’ll help us be decisive, and I know that they’ll be behind us and that they know how difficult this match will be and how good the opponent is. Maybe we’ll need a bit more indulgence at times, but it’s up to us to give our all. We’ll do the best we can. To make the most of what we expect from the fans, we’ll need to give them what they expect from us.
[Translated from: http://www.rcstrasbourgalsace.fr/actualites/nuno-da-costa-tout-repose-sur-le-groupe]
