The cries and applause from the stands of the Jean-Bouin stadium ended up supplanting the Marseille “Aux Armes”. If the stands were loudly heard when celebrating OM’s two goals, despite the travel ban, they also roared with pleasure during Paris FC’s equalizer (2-2) at the end of stoppage time.
Before this meeting counting for the 20th day of Ligue 1, the entire staff of the club was smiling after having almost finalized – subject to the medical examination – the arrival of Italian international Ciro Immobile from Bologna. At the final whistle, the leaders celebrated with the staff and the players, like a victory, this point snatched against OM. A club which is sinking into crisis three days after being ridiculed in Bruges (3-0).
This new comeback after that of Lyon (from 0-3 to 3-3) on October 29, the victory in Monaco (0-1) on November 1 or the qualification at the Parc against PSG in the Coupe de France (1-0), confirms that this Paris FC team is capable of performing at the highest level and that it has sufficient resources to achieve big hits. She managed her best matches against big names while she was very disappointing against Auxerre, Le Havre or Angers, including at home. Teams that it rubs shoulders with in the second half of the table in the championship ranking.
“We have more trouble against low blocks”
“We manage to transcend ourselves against the big guys,” confirms Stéphane Gilli. We have more difficulties against teams of our level. I say this with a lot of respect for them, because we are also a small team. (…) Faced with teams who are going to look for us, it is easier for us to play, if we are technically correct. We have more difficulty against the low blocks that await us. This is our axis of progress”
A feeling shared by the savior of the evening, Ilan Kebbal. “These are teams that have a little more open play than the others,” explains the Algerian international. There is a little more space than for example against Angers, against a more compact block. Tonight, it was a very good point taken against a top team so we are very happy. »
Valuable points to pick up against Auxerre
These successes can undoubtedly also be explained by a slightly different state of mind. “Faced with the big guys in the championship, we manage to get that extra soul, we take the extra step,” recognizes Stéphane Gilli. “I also think there is perhaps a little more motivation,” adds Ilan Kebbal. “Maybe there is a surplus of desire, I don’t know… But that must motivate us to play the teams that play notre championship to be better and take more points, insists Timothée Kolodziejczak. We know it’s close and we must praise the quality of the team and the state of mind this evening. We never gave up and that’s what makes us strong. »
To reverse the trend, Paris FC was also able to count on a high-performance bench. The entries of Jonathan Ikoné, Marschall Munetsi and Luca Koleosho changed the face of the match. The staff will now be able to rely on a high-performance bench thanks to the transfer window which can be described as successful when Ciro Immobile signs his contract. “I am very happy for the players and the group,” concluded the Parisian coach. This is not the first time that situations have been reversed. It shows that we are a real group. The entrants did the job. I was particularly hesitant about making Luca permanent (Koleosho). He brought his dynamism and creativity. » Arrivals which will also push some, still disappointing this Saturday, to show more.
The fact remains that after the exploits, it is necessary to confirm, which Paris FC has rarely achieved this season. “We will have to play the same kind of matches against the smaller players because these are points which will be important for us,” concludes Adama Camara. “We have the Coupe de France on Wednesday (in Lorient) then we have a big match which also awaits us next Sunday against Auxerre,” recalls “Kolo”. We will try to grab points as quickly as possible to take cover. Every weekend, there are big battles, we have to stay humble and work but this kind of result at the finish should give us confidence. »
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