Salut!

What another incredible week! Our victory against Rennes was both superb and dramatic, and we are now just 180 minutes from a place in the UEFA Cup. I was very pleased to start my first game of pre-season, and things went very well for me.

I managed to set up the winning goal for Dion, who finished in style to give us an aggregate victory over Rennes. I would like to thank the Villa fans for the fantastic ovation they gave me when I was substituted shortly before the end. They turned out in their thousands and I think it showed that they enjoyed the evening as much as I did.

I feel very fit and strong as always, and being given the chance to prove it in a match was great. My aim is simply to keep my place in the team, and try to help Villa win as many games as possible.

As I say, that win over Rennes puts us in one of the finals of this competition, with the winners of that match earning a place in next season's UEFA Cup, so it would be a real thrill to make it through.

The team we must first overcome is managed by Christian Gross, the Swiss who was my boss for a short time at Tottenham three years ago. Although things didn't work out for him in England, Christian is a very professional coach, and he prepares his teams very thoroughly.

I remember that the pre-season he organised for the Tottenham team in Switzerland was one of the most enjoyable I have ever experienced. If he gets his team firing for this match then it will be a tough test for us. But over the two legs we have a great chance of making it through - especially if we receive the same support as we did the other night at Villa Park.

A bientôt,

David Ginola.

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