Nice vs Bordeaux preview - Sagnol: Nice will not be easy
Posted Saturday, August 23, 2014 by PA
Willy Sagnol is refusing to take anything for granted as his Bordeaux side sit top of Ligue 1 ahead of their trip to Nice this weekend.
Les Girondins stunned Monaco by thrashing them 4-1 last week to claim successive wins for the first time since February after their opening-day triumph at Montpellier.
That 100 per cent start has seen them share an early lead with St Etienne, with both sides having the same points and goal difference - but Sagnol knows it will not be easy at the Allianz Riviera stadium as they come up against a resurgent Nice side that are also unbeaten after two games.
"We talked with the players immediately after the game against Monaco. The ranking doesn't matter. What interests us today is what we will produce Saturday against Nice. We still have the same philosophy. We focus on our game," he told girondins.com.
"The players have not got carried away after the (Monaco) game or during training this week. They were just happy with their performance. It is important to stay focused."
Former France defender Sagnol is also looking forward to locking horns with Nice boss Claude Puel, who was his manager at Monaco in the late 1990s.
"I have a huge respect for him as a coach, but especially as a man," he added. "He has never hidden and has always defended his ideas... It will be a great pleasure to see him."
Puel, whose Nice side finished just one place above the drop zone last year, described his memories of working with a fresh-faced Sagnol and is looking forward to their clash on Saturday.
He said: "He was very young, he was 20 when he was at Monaco. He went through all the states. Sometimes, it even happened for him to remain on the field for 25 minutes," Puel joked at ogcnice.com.
Dario Cvitanich's brace fired Nice to an opening day 3-2 triumph over Toulouse, before Les Aiglons battled to a goalless draw at Lorient last time out to remain unbeaten - so something will have to give on Saturday.
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