Nice vs Bastia preview - Puel hopes for stability

Posted Saturday, October 18, 2014 by PA

Nice coach Claude Puel hopes the club will benefit from the stability offered by him signing new contract.

Puel, who guided the club to a remarkable fourth-placed finish in Ligue 1 in 2013, was under contract for the remainder of this season and, in the build-up to Saturday's derby against Bastia, has committed himself for a further 12 months.

And he hopes there is more to come as the club continue to build stability.

"It was important to confirm it because that sends a message outside of the club," he told ogcnice.com.

"It's also important for the staff, the players, the coaches because it allows a stability to build. A club needs that. We are in perfect harmony on the project and we must remain so.

"You can achieve certain things, like the first season when we finished fourth, but consistent performances can only be the consequence of a club which has developed on solid foundations.

"It is a long job, it takes several years. I think I will be there as long as we continue to build on this project and carry that out."

Albert Rafetraniaina and Dario Cvitanich will miss the match due to injuries but Romain Genevois has returned to full training.

Bastia will be without midfielder El-Hadji Ba, out until January with a fractured fibula, and forward Juan Pablo Pino who will miss the next two weeks with a thigh problem. Brandao continues to serve his long-term suspension.

Coach Claude Makelele called for togetherness as the islanders look to end a six-match winless run and move out of the relegation zone.

"We have to forget the next match and show another face," he said at his pre-match press conference. "We need to rediscover a competitive team.

"The most important thing is that the group are together and they produce on the field. That is what we have been missing and that is what will allow us to get out of this situation."