The PSG coach spoke at a press conference this late Thursday afternoon, on the eve of the Coupe de la Ligue final against Olympique Lyonnais. He mentioned the physical condition of his group, the Mbappé case, the impact of the heat and the Verratti case.
What is the news of your full-backs Thilo Kehrer and Juan Bernat? And how does Kylian Mbappé feel six days after his injury?
THOMAS TUCHEL. We still have to do some testing. But this is the first training today (Thursday) pour Thilo sweeper (Editor’s note: after his blow to the hip), so it’s a bit too early. Ditto for Juan Bernat, it’s still a bit early to start. Finally Colin Dagba is also uncertain. As for Kylian, he is healing himself.
Do you have any hope that Mbappé can play against Bergamo?
I still have hope, but it will be very short. Every day counts to achieve, perhaps, a miracle.
Against Saint-Etienne, you struggled to keep the ball in midfield. Does this encourage you to start Marco Verratti against Lyon?
Yes, we want to have the ball. It was a super complicated decision to leave Marco on the sidelines, but I felt that Gana (Gueye) and Leandro (Paredes) deserved to continue playing together after Dortmund (Editor’s note: the two midfielders held on March 11, Verratti was suspended). But Marco has always deserved to play, he’s a player with extraordinary qualities and a great option for tomorrow.
Verratti has been injured and operated on in the past. Did you want to preserve it during this preparation?
It was not necessary, as he returned in good physical condition. He was disciplined during these four months of confinement and vacation. I am not afraid with him. He is in shape.
Are you going to keep your tactical system in 4-4-2 with the absence of Kylian Mbappé?
If we want to keep our 4-4-2, we are missing Kylian and Edi (Cavani). But we can play with Choupo-Moting, Sarabia and Di Maria, I have the possibility of making this choice. The fact of not having Kylian that has an influence, it’s clear, but we will find a solution.
With the departure of Cavani, Icardi is on the front line. Are you satisfied with its performance?
He was very strong in our first friendlies, he still is. He likes to play with the other three offensive players (Di Maria, Neymar and Mbappé), and he has other characteristics. He doesn’t need to hit a lot of balls or land in midfield, and that doesn’t hurt his confidence. He can play better, he has to play better, but he is very important for us (Editor’s note: the Argentinian is committed until 2024). If you don’t play enough for him, you can get the feeling that he’s not in good shape. But it’s not that.
Are you going to use this match against Lyon to prepare for the quarter-final against Atalanta Bergamo?
It’s not possible to tactically prepare Atalanta because I don’t know a team that plays like them. They play in a very special way, both defensively and offensively. What we can prepare is our state of mind, our fighting spirit and our hunger to win. A good result can prepare us as well.
Do you fear the heat expected tomorrow in Paris?
