Lyon coach Remi Garde has denied claims that he is not hard enough on his players after his side's third successive league defeat at Reims last weekend.

The result left Lyon in fourth with just a slim chance of catching Paris Saint-Germain at the top of Ligue 1, but Garde has denied that he has given his side an easy time.

"I get pretty annoyed when I hear talk that I'm not being tough enough on the players," he told the club's official website.

"Personally, I don't have the feeling that I'm not firm enough. I hold each player to his responsibilities. I put my heart into everything I say and everything I do.

"I have to be right behind the players the whole time to remind them of how individual interests work vis-a-vis the interests of the team. It's a shame, but that's how it is."

Lyon host Toulouse on Sunday.