Defeated Tuesday in the Champions League on the pitch of Sporting Portugal (2-1), PSG has no time to procrastinate. The Parisians return to Ligue 1 on Friday evening (8 p.m.) with a trip to Auxerre, 17th in the standings, for the 19th day. In the event of a draw or victory, Marquinhos’ partners would temporarily regain the lead in the championship, pending the clash between OM and Lens on Sunday.
Present at a press conference this Thursday noon, Luis Enrique was quite pumped up and defended his team which he considers to have good momentum despite the two defeats conceded in the last three matches.
We see similarities, particularly in the lack of efficiency, between the current PSG and that of the start of last season. What makes you even more confident than last year?
LUIS HENRY. It’s very easy to explain. You can see the number of goals we scored: we scored four more than last season. It’s an incredible source of satisfaction. We have four points less than last season in Ligue 1 because there is a team, Lens, which deserves to be at the top. But if we analyze this season which is special, we are in a very good moment. In the Champions League we had the worst draw of all the teams. We are in a privileged position. Not bad, right?
Can Chevalier’s mixed performances make the rest of the team doubt?
Every time you sign a player, no matter what he does, he will be criticized in his first season. This happened with Bradley Barcola, Désiré Doué and many players. We signed three players, but it’s normal for there to be criticism. When you arrive in a team of this level, it’s usual, you have to know how to deal with that. I’m happy with what I saw from them.
Has Hakimi returned to training and can he be part of the squad tomorrow?
It depends on the session this afternoon. I would like to speak with him because it is important to know how he feels. But he’s back, he has a little physical problem but nothing serious. My decision will be made tomorrow after speaking to him.
What needs to be adjusted collectively?
You are looking for solutions but you never find them because you have no information (he laughs). I respect your opinion but I cannot share it. You don’t have 50% of the information I have. When I talk about the matches and I see the journalists’ opinion about a match on television, it’s incredible. I get angry with you a lot of times, I stay here because we won, if I lose, I leave. These are the rules. After playing a match like Sporting and receiving criticism… It’s incredible.
Do some players show excessive individualism? We felt you annoyed on Tuesday at the edge of the field…
No, I can be angry during the match but not with my players. I was very proud of what I saw and the way we started the match. I have no problem with the players, I have no criticism to make of them. The coach can be angry but I need to show my energy. I didn’t do anything different.
Is it important to have a decisive match like Manchester City last season?
I don’t know, it’s hard to know. Last season, we didn’t know we could win. This season, we know we can win and the other teams know it too.
How do you explain that the matches are tighter?
There are many reasons. This season is special. It’s January 22, we’ve played just one match with the typical team and it was the first match of the season when the players were at 50%. If you look at the Champions League standings, out of the eight teams in our group there are six in contention to be in the top eight. And then you talk badly about Chevalier, Zabarnyi, the coach…
Why was this the best match?
The teams from pot 4 that we faced are Newcastle and Sporting, they have 13 points, like us. We were angry after the match because it was such an unfair result…
Ibrahim Mbaye is back from CAN. In what state of mind did you find him?
The feedback from Hakimi and Mbaye is very positive. I am very happy for Mbaye. He has experience because he has played a lot this season. In terms of maturity, this competition was important for him. He showed that he had the level. It’s good news to see them again.
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