Test week with Nice, Dortmund and OM: “We are only focusing on one match, that of Nice. We don’t think about others. The goal is to recover the players who were with their selection. We only think about tomorrow (Friday).”
Competition between goalkeepers: “For me it’s excellent to have three or four very high level goalkeepers. The four are ready to play. I was able to see great quality during the six weeks of training. They are ready to play.
Mental and physical recovery: “I’ve been a coach for 12, 13 years, I know this kind of situation, and we’re used to it, whether it’s weeks with one or three matches. Our squad has two or three players per position. It is important to have this management to achieve our goals. All the players have the quality to play and they will all have the minutes during the season.
To play against Nice… or not: “I will put the best players for tomorrow’s match, the most important.”
Kylian Mbappé: “We will take stock tomorrow (Friday) to find out if he is ready, we will discuss. He was hit this week.”
Selection criteria for his starting 11: “Sporting or mental qualities? Both ! All the players have these two qualities, otherwise they would not be part of this club.
Randal Kolo Muani and Gonçalo Ramos: “I don’t like to compare players… They bring different things, they have their qualities and their faults. They are scorers, very complete players. Marco Asensio has also already played as a center forward and Bradley Barcola can do it. This position is very well covered and I am delighted.”
Also read: PSG: legend, genius, unfinished… What place in history for Verratti?
How the Vinitha/Ugarte/Zaire-Emery trio works: “I don’t just have these three backgrounds… There is also Cher Ndour, Fabian Ruiz, Carlos Soler or Ethan Mbappé. I don’t want to forget anyone but I probably have. Still, the fact that these three players have played so far does not mean that the others will not play. I have a lot of options, and that’s important for a coach. Depending on the position of the ball and whether we have it or not, we do certain things or not, we take certain spaces. There’s not just one thing that works. It also depends on the opponent’s pressing. The players have to do different things in the middle, they all have a lot of quality, they are young and give me a lot of options. Verratti’s departure? The squad is balanced, I have very good options.”
The match against Nice: “It’s obviously complicated to prepare for the first match after an international break. We have to prepare without certain players. Marquinhos and Manuel Ugarte returned today. Others arrived yesterday (Wednesday) or two days ago (Tuesday). We did a video session on things to improve defensively today (this Thursday) and we will do another tomorrow, in addition to work on the field. Fortunately, we have already had two months together, so the players know each other, but we still need to remind them of certain things, especially before facing a dangerous team like Nice. It is important. It will be a complicated match given their qualities, their courage.
Comments collected at a press conference
