He was not at the Châtelet theater this Monday evening to attend the coronation of Lionel Messi. But the day after his compatriot’s 7th Ballon d’Or, Mauricio Pochettino made his show a little by relaxing the atmosphere with a touch of humor, this Tuesday, at the end of the press conference. Already deprived of Neymar, absent between six and eight weeks following his sprained left ankle contracted in Saint-Etienne on Sunday, he does not yet know whether he will be able to count on his Ballon d’Or this Wednesday against Nice, due to symptoms of gastroenteritis observed in La Pulga and Leandro Paredes.
How does the absence of Neymar upset your projects and the team’s balance?
MAURICIO POCHETTINO. I am sad to know that Ney cannot play football and will be away from the pitches for several weeks. We know he loves playing ball more than anything. But we are not trying to replace a player like Ney. The role of the technical staff is to adapt to find solutions at the organizational level. The principles of the game will be there. We will continue to develop what we have been doing since the beginning of the year by relying on flexibility to find the best solutions.
Presnel Kimpembe is one of the most used players this season. Does Sergio Ramos’ return to form call into question the hierarchy established since this summer?
Competition is high in defense. We have Marquinhos, Presko, Marqui, Sergio, Kehrer, Diallo and even young people like El Chadaille. We have a lot of quality. It is also a strength for us. I don’t think there is such direct competition. Decisions are also made in relation to the state of form, to the matches. Sergio played 90 minutes after coming back from a long absence, you have to see how he recovers.
Is it possible, after such a long absence, to see him already chained in front of Nice?
As with all players, we communicate with Sergio on a daily basis. We talked about his match, he was satisfied. The last quarter of an hour was harder, but that’s normal. He’s tired, but it makes sense. We will see tomorrow if he is able to be in the group and play.
With the return of Ramos, can we imagine seeing Marquinhos rise in the middle as it was the case before your arrival?
In football, all options are possible. From there to what they happen … Football Manager, we can do all the compositions we want. But any idea must be respected. In the past he has played in this position. If the question is: is it possible? Yes it is. I remember when I quit football – or when football stopped me (Laughs) – a newspaper offered to write a column. How hard was it to write these articles and how much nonsense I could tell. When I became a coach, I did analyzes, draws, I moved all the pawns… I realized how difficult this job was when I thought it was easy when I was playing. I realized that your job is not easy either, I sympathize. (Malicious) But the most difficult work is not yours, nor mine: (pointing to Miguel D’Agostino, his assistant), it is that of my translator friend (Laughs).
“We are facing a challenge that makes us grow”
You will find Christophe Galtier on Wednesday, elected best coach in Ligue 1 last season. Was he in your eyes?
He was the best coach of the season. Lille were champion, when a team wins, the coach is always the best. Fabien… (he recovers) oh no, Christophe continues to demonstrate it now that he is in Nice. Sorry for the confusion, but it comes from the fact that Fabien (Galthié, current coach of the XV of France) was captain of Stade Français when I played for PSG, we had a good relationship.
Since your arrival at PSG, you have never been able to line up the same starting XI. Is this a problem for you?
Not being able to field a stable team is a problem for all technical staff. It is a gigantic challenge. Generally, we like to be able to follow up with the same team. But we feel that we are facing a challenge that makes us grow as a team and as a staff. It is up to us to find solutions. It also allows each player in the squad to feel concerned.
What does it change to have a seven-time Ballon d’Or player in your squad?
First of all I want to send my public congratulations to Leo and his family, winning a 7th Ballon d’Or is huge. We hope that today is the first day of the path that will lead him to an 8th Golden Ball. We are all delighted to have him with us. Beyond the individual rewards, we hope that we will also have collective rewards to celebrate together at the end of the season.
We have heard some criticism around the verdict. Do they seem legitimate to you?
There is no debate, Leo deserves this 7th Ballon d’Or. I can understand the criticism from other countries. But he deserves it.
