After the defeat at Manchester City, PSG coach Mauricio Pochettino returned to the match at the microphone of the two broadcasters. He saw good things in spite of everything, recalled the qualification for the 8th and especially recalled that he would now have a little time in front of him to prepare his team as well as possible.
At RMC’s microphone
We have the strong impression that Manchester City played their game for a very large part of the meeting without your team being able to respond.
“There was 54% possession to their advantage, I don’t think it’s a big possession. It would be more of a 70/30 ratio. (The journalist goes on to explain that we felt PSG embarrassed by City, especially in the first period) No, but it’s true that I find that City were better than us in the first period. When we see the number of faults made by City and our side as well, that tells the truth of the first period. There is a real difference between the two.
We started the second period better. The team is more out of its camp. We had the opportunity to be in front of the opposing goal, and we even opened the scoring. Then we took a goal and had to make changes. The team suffered a form of decompression after that and we conceded the second goal in the process. We came to play first in the group, but it’s football. We will especially remember the second period, it’s the face we wanted to see. Opposite, City are a great team, we knew that. They win all their European matches here at the Etihad Stadium. We won 2-0 at the Parc des Princes, at home, and we lose 2-1 here against a great team. You have to accept it. “
What do you have to say about the defensive involvement of your offensive elements? They seemed very detached from the rest of the team tonight.
“I am very satisfied with all the players. It’s a shame that we lost today. We had a chance to take first place in the group, but that’s not possible anymore. We are still qualified. Given the circumstances at the start of the season, it is important and satisfying to be qualified. We will see later, but it was already something very important for everyone. “
Was it an instruction to continue to try to restart short systematically despite the strong pressure from the opponents?
“It’s a bit of a question… You know, we don’t have players measuring 2 meters, so we are not going to multiply the balls far in front, it would be useless. On the contrary, we try to revive by building. We managed to break this pressure at times and we were able to create opportunities in the wake of it. “
Is your assessment after these first five Champions League matches satisfactory?
“At PSG, we are never satisfied, but we only want to win. In the evening of a defeat, one cannot be satisfied. We are still qualified, it must be remembered. If we want to win the Champions League, we will have to be able to win against anyone, as first or second in a group. “
At the microphone of Canal +
You will be able to take advantage of the next few weeks to work with your group, right?
“We had a lot of chances, but I think City did very well. It’s hard to keep the right tempo for 90 minutes of play, but we are improving. We have more time to prepare, improve things and be ready in February 2022 for the knockout stages. Of course, we only get better so far. “
Exactly, in which areas does your team need to improve by then?
“In everything, in everything! A team must always progress in all aspects. “
Will you be on the PSG bench for this round of 16?
” Sorry ? (Embarrassed laughter) Thank you, ciao! “
