The Parisian coach looks back on the victory against Nîmes and looks forward to the Classic, Sunday in Marseille.
At the Parc des Princes
Angel Di Maria, goalscorer and passer in the 3-0 victory over Nîmes : “If he needs to chain matches to be on top? I am happy with its performance. Like all players, he needs playing time. He’s been at the club for a long time. “
» READ ALSO – Tops / Flops PSG-Nîmes: Di Maria at the rendezvous, Dagba-Kehrer weak links
The reaction after the 3-2 defeat in Lorient last Sunday : “The reaction has been good. We were disappointed after the Lorient match. We had control of the match, especially in the first period. In the second period, we dropped a little with the advantage in the score (2-0 at the break, editor’s note). And this 3-0 allows us to look serenely towards the next match (next Sunday in Marseille, note). ”
“We must increase our level and our requirement”
A two-faced PSG : “We always try to play full matches. Afterwards, as I said earlier, I preferred the first period to the second. The solution ? This is the requirement. The first period was more controlled. After the rest, we may have started to think about the Classic, to have our head on the Marseille match … And unconsciously, we dropped a little. Sunday, we will have to play 90 minutes for sure. We must increase our level and our requirement. It will be a great challenge for us who have been there for a month (the Argentine coach and his staff officially took office on January 2, editor’s note). ”
OM-PSG : “The derbies are always different, there is a lot of passion and that means a lot for us, but especially for our supporters. The return of some absent to Marseille? We hope to recover players for this match (in addition to the suspension of Neymar and the absence of Bernat, PSG had to do without Navas, Marquinhos, Diallo, Verratti and Herrera on injury or due to Covid-19, editor’s note). “
The departure of André Villas-Boas in Marseille : “I am sad about this situation, I have known him for a long time. After that, a derby is still a derby … I’m sure they’ll give their all, and so will we. We cannot predict what will happen on this kind of meeting. “
» READ ALSO – AVB and OM, it’s over
Kylian Mbappé in an axial position : “After several weeks of work, we are still trying to find the best position for the players. In this position (as the second attacker behind, in this case, Moise Kean), Kylian can more easily find spaces and use his speed, he is also more free to find spaces to the right or to the left. I am happy with his performance. ”
“Over time, we will find a better balance offensively and defensively”
Collective play and balance : “We must continue to improve. It’s a process that will allow us to find more balance over time. In football, it’s very hard to achieve perfection, but over time you will find a better balance offensively and defensively. ”
» READ ALSO – PSG is recovering and will land in Marseille with confidence
Angel Di Maria and the “possibility” of seeing Lionel Messi join PSG : “I will not comment on what the players say and my words are often misinterpreted, as happened in another country (a recent interview with the Spanish daily Brand, editor’s note). I am focused on the team and the goals. We know the situation, difficult with the Covid. We are engaged in Ligue 1, the Champions League and the Coupe de France, we will try to win everything. The club works in silence but I won’t give you a name tonight. ”
Rafinha : “We couldn’t work with him when I arrived because of his positive Covid-19 test. Then he had to redo a preparation. As you know, we have a lot of players, we have to make choices to find a balance. But each player will have opportunities to play and join the team. “
Interview at a press conference
Jérôme Arpinon (Nîmes coach) : “Did the first goal knock the plan down? A little … In the first period, we were a little shy. (…) I have turned a few players, there are very important matches coming up, especially at home against direct competitors. Paris is really a big game, we thought we would show a beautiful face and achieve a result, hang them. Afterwards, they have a fairly significant offensive quality. But I didn’t want to give them the first goal, I wanted them to score it. Afterwards, we showed a much more interesting face in the second half, encouraging for the future. Nimes still in reaction? As I said, we were a bit shy in the first half, we watched them a bit, we didn’t have too much of an impact on the recovery compared to the second half. There is a little lack of confidence among the players at times. We regained that confidence while playing. But we made two gifts in two matches (Deaux against Angers and Fomba against Paris, note). We will try to stop this. (…) Today, it was a Nîmes with two faces. (…) Four points (difference on the jump-off), that’s nothing. We have a game late. If we were 10 or 12 points behind, I would say we are badly. But four, it goes very quickly. It’s up to us to win the matches against the teams that compete with us. There are Nantes at home, Dijon on the move, Lorient at home … These are matches for maintenance, no problem there. ” (in press conference)
–– .
