His arrival at a press conference, on the eve of the reception of Bayer Leverkusen, was eagerly awaited.
Under fire from critics since the defeat against Dijon, who won the first match of his season in Nice, Patrick Vieira had carefully prepared the meeting with journalists, which is not his habit.
The Nice coach appeared combative and unifying.
He did not seek to clear his customs nor to flee his responsibilities in the midst of a crisis of results.
"The criticisms are quite normal, admitted Vieira, who had been received the day before by Julien Fournier, the director of football of the Riviera club.
I feel supported by the management.
I have no worries, no fear.
I will fight, as I have always done throughout my career.
I've been through some complicated times already.
I never gave up.
"
"It's a difficult moment, I have to face it"
Eleventh in Ligue 1 and (almost) eliminated from the Europa League, after only four days, OGC Nice has a wobbly start to the season, far from the expectations raised by the arrival of INEOS at the head of the club and the summer investments .
Its game is loosened, its executives are slipping away, its young people regress and Vieira sometimes seems to be short of ideas.
"The players have not let go, but sometimes have trouble understanding certain choices," said an intimate of a group lost since Dante's injury.
Close to Fournier, with whom he talks daily, the 98 world champion saw his rating plummet with Nice supporters, who demand his departure on social networks, failing to be able to do so at the Allianz Riviera.
On a thread, Vieira received no ultimatum from its leaders, but they did not give it public support.
Internally, some voices are pushing for an overhaul of its staff, others would opt for an outright dismissal.
Problem, fallbacks do not run the streets.
Nice decision-makers sweep away the idea of offering a two-and-a-half-year contract to a coach chosen by default and acting in haste.
In the pipes a few weeks ago, the extension of Vieira's contract - bound until next June - is no longer on the agenda.
The Nice coach knows he is on a wire before two crucial matches for his future, against Leverkusen and in Reims on Sunday in L1.
“It's a difficult moment, I have to face it, he asks.
I am the guarantor of this project, I have to put things in place to reverse this situation.
The players are of course affected, there is a loss of confidence.
"We have a very good group, assures Jordan Lotomba.
We have to show another state of mind, rebel and show rage.
“Without that, Vieira's future at the head of OGC Nice could be dotted.
