Special envoy to Lisbon
"It's a bit hard. It's like that with the n ° 9 ”. This is what Thomas Tuchel recently said about the period Mauro Icardi is currently going through. Period of famine for the Argentine international striker. You just have to see his teammates scramble to allow him to score this small goal that would restore his confidence to understand that it is not a figment of the imagination. And it had also started before the confinement and the stoppage of Ligue 1 ... The ex-captain of Inter had yet started on the hats of wheel. “Honestly, I'm very impressed,” said the German coach, after seeing him score 17 goals in 19 matches. “He's super reliable, top professional. He understands football tactically at a very high level. He works defensively. It is efficient, very efficient. How he plays, how he works for the team, how he respects the spaces for him when attacking, I'm really happy, ”he said. It was in mid-January, shortly after the resumption in early 2020.
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Except that after an idyllic start, Icardi started to cough. In terms of stats, but also in the game. We are still talking about a player with 20 goals in 33 matches in 2019-20. But Paris needs more movement, technical accuracy and inspiration in transmissions. Especially if Angel Di Maria and Kylian Mbappé are not playing. “We have a lot of quality, but without Kylian we lack speed. We must find other solutions, ”emphasizes Tuchel. Icardi must be one of those solutions. The Icardi at the start of the season, not the one we've been seeing lately. Moreover, it was Edinson Cavani who started against Dortmund (2-0). Since then, the Matador has left, and Icardi has been recruited (55 M €).
Tuchel tickles Icardi's ego
The former resident of the Masia therefore has free rein. It is up to him to impose himself and above all to free himself, he who has hardly any competitor for his post on the banks of the Seine. Total confidence. But no blank check. In any case, Tuchel titillates the ego of his player, as if to revive him, before the quarter-final of the Champions League against Atalanta, this Wednesday (9 p.m.). Risky bet? We know that he and his wife can quickly steer ... "It's super important," he begins by explaining. With Kylian's injury and Cavani leaving it will be very important that he plays a good game and shows that he really is a guy who can fight in important matches. He is never afraid, he can always score, he is reliable tactically and defensively. He is well integrated into this group. It wasn't too hard because we have a lot of South Americans. Now is the time for him to show that he is capable of bringing us to the semi-finals. " Message passed. To see how it will be received ...
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