Nice reinvigorated by Coupe de France final push as Lens loom | OneFootball

Nice have found a sharper edge since clinching a Coupe de France final with Lens on 22 May. With Lens visiting on Saturday at 21:05, competition for starting places has intensified across the squad.

According to L'Équipe, Claude Puel, like Franck Haise before him, had wrestled with uneven commitment this season. The 2-0 win at Strasbourg on 22 April, which sealed the final, has jolted standards, players now straining to claim a place at the Stade de France.

Puel says training is fully engaged and the group feels healthier day to day and in matches. The run-in is important on every front, opportunities are there and some have already taken them. He senses a receptive, hard-working squad, while asking for better use of the ball.

Salis Abdul Samed, whose season had been a fiasco to date, has played almost the entirety of the last three games, against Lille 0-0, Strasbourg and Marseille 1-1. Sofiane Diop will seek to assert his talent in what Puel calls four finals before the showpiece, and the prospect could also re-energise Kevin Carlos.

Puel says they are entering the run-in and will need everyone, satisfied with recent defensive cohesion but seeking more in possession. Goalkeeper Yéhvann Diouf, first choice in the league but recently a Cup deputy, feels the final berth adds lightness and belief, while past experience urges patience. He adds that securing survival early is essential, and even a point against Lens on Saturday would be gratefully accepted.

Source: L'Équipe