“We still have this ability to continue”
Did you speak with Kylian Mbappé about how he was acclaimed last week? And did he give you any clues about his future?
I spoke with him on many subjects but not on the questions you are asking me.
And has the band digested what happened last week?
There was sadness in relation to what we experienced. It’s a feeling that lives in us and the players too. Everyone is affected by this disappointment. In football, you have to keep playing and you can’t stop. The remaining objective is to win the championship and give the club a new title. It is on this that we must integrate all our energies.
How do you rate Marquinhos’ game against Madrid? And how does his leadership as captain translate on a daily basis?
I don’t think we should single out any particular player. What happened is collective. If there’s someone responsible, it’s the coach and other parts of the club. ‘Marqui’ has been at the club for several years and he has earned his reputation from his performances.
Do you prefer to play outside so that you no longer have the pressure of your supporters?
I always prefer to play at the Parc des Princes with the support of our supporters.
You seemed very affected after the match against Madrid, did you fall back asleep? And how do you see your future?
It was an unexpected hard blow that we took. It will take time to regain sleep and normal behavior. I only think of today and tomorrow. I am focused on finishing this season well. We will then see what the club wants to do at the end of the season.
There were a lot of comments after the elimination in Madrid to say that things had to change at this club so that PSG regularly go far in this competition. Do you think there are things to change? And if, yes what?
It’s true that when we analyze PSG’s last European Cups, in a Covid situation, PSG arrived in the final, then in the semi-final in a two-way match situation by eliminating Barcelona and Bayern Munich. This year we did not succeed and there is disappointment because it is the main objective of the club which it has been looking for for several years. There is the tenth title of champion of France which is important. The analysis will be done at the end of the season and we will see the decisions taken to create a team with the motivation to seek this objective.
Do you want to continue with PSG? And do you still think you have the ability to take this group forward and achieve the club’s goals?
We are competitors by nature, this type of exciting challenge is up for grabs. There is a revenge situation and now we have to fight for a title. Yes, we feel with the technical staff to have this ability to continue. But you have to sit around a table, see the ideas and the vision that there is in the future in order to find a level of agreement where everyone feels good in the way they work. There are plenty of topics we need to discuss (Editor’s note: with the club). After more than a year at the head of the club, we have a more in-depth knowledge of the context and we are better technical staff than when we arrived.