While the songs and hugs Monday evening in the Park locker rooms will remain unforgettable for the Paris FC players, this sweet euphoria quickly faded. If they repeated that they were “proud of themselves”, coach Stéphane Gilli and president Pierre Ferracci also quickly mentioned the Ligue 1 meeting this Sunday (5:15 p.m.) in Nantes (16th, 2 points behind PFC, 15th). “We were happy of course but we talked about this match straight away, even the players,” says Stéphane Gilli. In front of the media, this was indeed the meaning of the speech by Ilan Kebbal and Jonathan Ikoné.
As unexpected and magnificent as it was, this prestigious victory at PSG (1-0) was only an enchanted parenthesis in a dark period in the championship. Beating PSG will have been for nothing if the promoted Parisian records another misstep at Beaujoire. Within the team, staff and managers, everyone is well aware of this. “Every weekend, we go to war, we play for our place in Ligue 1,” said captain Maxime Lopez. We are in a situation that is not alarming, but almost. If we beat Nantes, we gain a little margin on them but if we lose, they take our place in the ranking. »
“Winning at PSG will make me even more demanding”
After a day of rest on Tuesday, the return to earth was quick. Some treated their injuries (Geubbels, Gory, De Smet) after this hard-fought qualification, and everyone quickly returned to preparing for this match against Nantes. But Monday’s performance and more generally the two derbies, where Paris FC did not leave with the “suitcases” that many promised them, can constitute a good basis for moving forward and forgetting a catastrophic month of December in terms of accounting and the game.
“We must rely on that and use it,” confirms Stéphane Gilli. When we show these values of rigor, discipline and solidarity, everyone works together with the same objective, is concentrated for 98 minutes and will look for that little extra by causing success, we see that this group is capable of great things. Winning at PSG are victories that count. It gives good dynamics and confidence. But for me, it will make me even more demanding. It’s almost easy to give 200% when it’s a big game, but I expect it to be the same against Nantes and Angers. »
The Paris FC coach, who will recover the players returned from the CAN (Traoré, Krasso after Kebbal already decisive on Monday) but not Chergui, whose injury was poorly managed in the Algerian selection according to the Parisian coach, will not tolerate any relaxation. The competition, which will increase with the five hoped-for reinforcements (the midfielder Munetsi signed on Thursday and could be in the group in Nantes), should keep everyone on their toes.
“No one has the right to hide behind a lot of things anymore”
“We have a complicated schedule with big matches one after another,” recalls Maxime Lopez. Everyone is ready, aware of this. There are disappointments for those who went to the CAN, some played little, there were eliminations. We need to get everyone back to get off to a real start. Everyone needs to raise their level. No one has the right to hide behind many things anymore: the squad, adaptation… We don’t have time for that anymore, honestly. The first six months, you have time, now, there are no more excuses. What we did is beautiful, exceptional. It’s magnificent to beat PSG who had only lost twice this season (at OM and Monaco) and who had not been eliminated this early in twelve years in the Cup. Afterwards, we didn’t win the Coupe de France, either…”
The Marseillais insists: “The victory for PSG gives confidence and has re-motivated everyone. It also proves that if we stand together and play as a team, we can beat the best team in Europe. Afterwards, there are lots of things that come into play, they didn’t have success on Monday night, but that’s not our problem. This victory re-motivated everyone. We enjoyed it but we must be aware that on Sunday we have an even more important match in Nantes. “.
,autocrop(1200:630) "Sporting Draw with Aalborg in Champions League Quarter-Final First Leg")
