The words exchanged with Randal Kolo Muani at the end of Lorient-PSG (1-4): “Why? Because I’m the coach. Once the match was over, we celebrated with our supporters, but it’s important to be there for your players when they need it. Randal Kolo Muani is a top player. He’s a big signing for the club. But he is at a moment in which he is not completely confident, he is not successful either, but he works a lot. I encouraged him to continue this momentum. Our supporters know what it means to struggle. They will support the players when they are in a bad moment. And that’s the most important thing, that’s when they need it the most. I can only encourage my players if things don’t go well. When everything goes well, everyone is happy. My job is to make sure that all the players are well. I am very happy with Randal Kolo Muani, his performances, his statistics, he can do better and I am sure that when he regains this confidence, his performances will be even better.
The line-up against Le Havre with a view to the title (PSG must win or count on a misstep from Monaco to Lyon on Sunday): “Each match represents an opportunity for the players. I was recently reminded that I change five or six players every game. It is best for the players when the coach regularly changes his starting 11 so that everyone participates. And I’m not going to change my mind. Why change? It will be a complicated match against an opponent who has a lot at stake (the Normans are playing to maintain their position, Editor’s note), a match a little similar to that against Clermont (1-1). A complicated match because there won’t be much space. But the difference is that if we win, we will be champion of France. Having the opportunity to do it in front of our supporters would be perfect, and we want to take advantage of this opportunity.
PSG even better by the end of the season: “We are approaching the last part of the season in very positive conditions. I hadn’t even thought of a scenario as positive as that! I don’t think too much about the future actually. What has to happen happens, I accept it in any case. But we are in a splendid moment in every sense, almost all the players are available with the exception of Presnel Kimpembe and Sergio Rico, they all have a chance to play, the supporters are very happy and the club has the ambition to achieve something different. It’s a very attractive end to the season, we are very motivated, we will continue to fight to achieve all the objectives.”
Ousmane Dembélé’s success: “All top-level strikers have ups and downs in terms of success in front of goal. For Ousmane, even if he had only scored one goal (before the double confrontation against Barça), he already had around ten assists, in addition to everything he creates for us in the game. He is experiencing his best moment of the season in terms of goals scored, but in fact it only depends on one thing: his calmness when finishing. In training, he scores a lot of goals, with both feet. For him to do it in a match, it only depends on his calmness when shooting. And if he decides to pass, that will be a goal too.”
Progress throughout the season: “In February, we were already better than in the C1 group stage. Everything is positive. I don’t really know what day it is. I said that (that PSG would be better in February, Editor’s note) in December. And we did it. And we continue to improve. A delay in this prediction? Don’t look for the negative. If there is a delay, it could be the plane, the train, the bus (smile). Is the team now coming of age? It’s true. This is part of a process in which PSG has completely changed since last summer, its identity, its objectives, the staff, 11 players who arrived and others who left… There have been a lot of changes. It’s a period of construction. We will see at the end of the season what we managed to do. But the construction continues and I am convinced that we will be even better next season. I obviously can’t guarantee it. But this is my message, my ambition, my desire, I want to transmit to my players an idea, a way of playing. If we don’t succeed, it won’t be a big deal. I haven’t always accomplished what I wanted in my life, my expectations are often higher than reality, but that doesn’t mean it’s a failure.”
Lucas Beraldo: “He was exceptional. Such a young player, who doesn’t speak the language and doesn’t know anyone, only one Brazilian in the squad but if there are a lot of players who speak Portuguese, when I see his ability to adapt, his performances, it’s is spectacular. He has actually played little since the quarter-final first leg against FC Barcelona. He should have played the last match but he had some physical problems. Beraldo was a very good recruit from the sports management and Luis Campos. He represents the future of PSG.
Pressure at PSG: “All coaches have good and bad times, we are subject to pressure, especially in big clubs. But this is also true if you play sustain. I try to have empathy for the coaches of other teams, to understand that it is always difficult to make decisions. You should know that you will be criticized in the event of defeat, even if those who criticize you do not see the training sessions and do not know how you operate. I accept it. It’s part of the job. But I always try to give my best, like all coaches. You have to know how to win… and lose.”
Surprises since his arrival at PSG: “No. When I chose to come to Paris, I had already spoken with Luis Campos, I knew the level I was going to find. I was very comfortable from the first day, with the trust of the club and the sports management. We are all on the same line. And with the players, everything was very easy. No surprise. It’s a very big club that continues to grow. This is our goal, to improve further, to be demanding with the players in order to fight for all the trophies.
Pep Guardiola believes that certain spaces cannot be defended: “If Pep Guardiola said it, it’s because it’s true (smile). There are indeed spaces that cannot be defended. We are focused on occupying spaces, playing in such a way that the opponent cannot play against. We are trying to hurt the opponent. It is the opponent who gives the spaces to attack. Players make appropriate decisions. No two matches are the same, just as no two opponents are the same. Two teams can defend in the same way, there are always different behaviors. And it motivates me as a coach to always look for solutions for my players, helping them, knowing that the difficulty is always in decision-making on the pitch. It’s the hardest. On video, it’s simpler…”
Comments collected at a press conference.