Frank Haise insists he’s back on the mend after being rushed to hospital with severe headaches at the weekend, reports Andy Newport from the south-east of France.
But the Nice boss fears Rangers could end up being a right pain in the neck for his Europa League strugglers. The stressed-out Les Aiglons coach was struck down by a painful migraine as his side clung on for a 2-1 victory over Ligue 1 rivals Strasbourg on Sunday. It was his side’s eighth straight domestic match without defeat.
But while Haise’s side are flying high in France in fifth place, they’re toiled in UEFA action having taken just two points from their first four games. The opposite is true for Gers, with the only positive for Philippe Clement’s team amid their on-going Premiership struggles is an impressive set of Europa League results which means they can all but secure a place in the knock-out rounds with victory on the Riviera.
But with four games remaining, Haise knows another slip-up for the hosts will likely leave him with another sore head. He said: “As you can see I feel better. I have been doing some exams on Sunday and even yesterday.
“We could see that everything was okay and that my blood pressure was OK. It is true I had some issues on Sunday and that’s why I went to the emergency services. But I got treatment and I am OK. Maybe if we had scored the third goal against Strasbourg then I wouldn’t have had this intense headache. But what I experienced on Sunday I never experienced in the past and I have been doing this for 21 years.
“It helped me realise I had a problem to solve. Every coach hates defeat, every coach has a way of showing it. Like any passionate job you find it hard to keep it all inside, sometimes it hurts your head..
“We know how important it is to win the game because we haven’t won yet in the Europa League. But there are still four games to go, that’s 12 points. To qualify, we won’t need 12 points. But I don’t want to put pressure on everyone. We all want to win games. But that’s not what makes us win games. It’s not that pressure that makes us win games. It’s what we put in the game. It’s what we put in the attitudes that make us win games.”
Haise has sympathy for old friend Clement – who he knows from his stint as Monaco gaffer. But while he recognises Rangers results at home have been frustrating for supporters, he reckons the Light Blues legions can’t have much to complain about in Europe.
He said: “I know that in the league that they are always expected to be ranked high. They are expected to be at the top. Unfortunately they have had some average results. But I have watched them in the Europa League and it’s a team, even against Lyon, that always seems to play very well. They can raise the bar in Europe. I am glad to meet the manager again, I had a good relationship with him.
“I am glad to be playing against him. Philippe has deep knowledge of the French league and of Nice and what we can do. I don’t want to reveal too many pieces of information, but they don’t have too many flaws when you see their European games.”
Haise has some major injury concerns with skipper Dante, defender Mohamed Abdelmonem, midfielder Youssouf Ndayishimiye and forward Jeremy Boga all doubts for tonight’s clash, while Sofiane Diop and Moïse Bombito are banned. But former Chelsea youth team keeper Marcin Bulka will start – and the Poland No1 is looking forward to meeting a familiar face.
The 25-year-old said: “I used to play with Dujon in Chelsea Academy. He’s my age but I haven’t heard from him for a long time. I think it’s good to play against the players you know. They’re your friends. They stay your friends.
“Recently, I played against my other former Chelsea teammate with the national team, Billy Gilmour. It’s true that at Chelsea, we had many great players who are very important players today in Europe. Dujon Sterling is one of them. It would be great to play against him. We have to put this friendship aside and face each other tomorrow.”
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