Girard staying positive during tough run

22 September 2012 13:11

A pragmatic Montpellier coach Rene Girard says his side were lucky to escape with a 1-1 draw at home to Saint-Etienne on Friday.

The Ligue 1 champions, who lost 2-1 to Arsenal in the Champions League midweek, have only five points from their opening six league games and already have an 11-point deficit to make up on leaders Marseille.

Souleymane Camara's second half goal salvaged a point for Girard's side, after Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang gave the visitors the lead on the stroke of half time.

"It was difficult against Arsenal, it was difficult against Reims, and we are used to this now," Girard told reporters.

"They were better than us and they should have scored four or five goals. We leave with a lucky draw.

"It is like it is. What can I say? It is not due only to the attackers. We do not have a lot of success as a team. It is not only the front players, it is a little everybody. There is a lack of serenity at the moment."

But Girard said he would draw on positives from the match as Montpellier prepare for a trip to Nancy next Saturday.

"We came from a goal down and it would have been easy to think we would not have done that," he said.

"Whether Saint-Etienne should have won 4-0 or if we should have drawn, we still put in a lot of effort and we did our best. If we have been just a little less focused it could have been a catastrophe but we did not. It is good, it is a good point."