INTERVIEW. Football: Playing without pressure, Ruthenian Jordan Mendes opens up before the final day in Annecy

At 8 pm on Saturday, May 9th, the Raf (5th) will meet Annecy (7th) to secure a spot in the Ligue 1 promotion play-offs. This is an opportunity for Jordan Mendes, the midfielder for the team, to discuss the upcoming crucial match, reflect on the team’s successful momentum, and talk about his dream of playing in the World Cup this summer. Interview.

“How do you approach this ‘final’?”

These are the kinds of matches that all players want to play because there is something at stake. We understand our position, we know what we have to play for. We must consider the significance of this match, but we should play without pressure, as we have done in the past 19 matches. We have shown a lot of good things, we have improved, so we must continue to do what we do well and not put too much pressure on ourselves.

“Does the team manage to ignore all pressure before this crucial match?”

Yes, we do not feel immense pressure. It has been 19 matches without a loss, and each time we have the desire to continue the streak, so we need to approach the trip to Annecy in the same manner. If we win, we will advance to the play-offs.

“We want to not ruin something magnificent, exceptional that we have accomplished so far. We use this unbeaten record to try to go even further, to achieve greater things in each match.”

“When did you realize that you could compete for the top of the table and not just fight to stay in the league?”

The beginning of the season did not go as desired, but we knew what we were capable of. We are a team with a lot of qualities. Not being explicitly told (that the objective was top 5), I think it relieved the pressure. We were in a position where we were looking up, but we drew a lot of matches that didn’t necessarily bring us closer to those places directly. It helped us to keep a cool head and keep moving forward.

“How was the shift in your mindset?”

Maybe after the 10th match, when we hadn’t lost. But we said it with moderation, always keeping a cool head. The coach kept reminding us to stay calm about it and not necessarily look straight to the top and keep our feet on the ground. We thought that if we strung together wins, maybe we could have something to aim for, but we had to do it. And now, here we are. Saturday’s match will be the final big test to see if we are ready for the play-offs or not.

(Completing the rest of the conversion…)