After the defeat of his team (2-1) in Germany in the round of 16 first leg of the Champions League, the Parisian coach analyzes this result which places his team in unfavorable waivers. He remains convinced, however, that his team will qualify for the quarters.
Why did you change the game system for this game? Your players did not seem comfortable ...
THOMAS TUCHEL . It's too long to explain. Really. We decided Sunday and yesterday ( Monday ). We played like this in Dijon. It was the previous match. It was the structure that gave us short distances to defend. I know that after a match if the result is not perfect it will be said that it was my fault. But I have to make decisions. I have to decide it's necessary. Teams have lost here. Inter Milan lost, Barcelona drew. Nobody knows what would have happened if we had played in 4-4-2. The question is how we played, not the structure.
How do you explain this lack of efficiency?
We play twice as much as Dortmund. We had a lot of concerns about injuries to key players. They lacked the rhythm, the hardness of competition. Neymar, for example, did not play for seventeen days. It should have been a less physical match at the end. It is not trivial. We couldn't push high enough because we made too many mistakes. We missed him before the timing. I thought it would be more open than we could lead. There have been no occasions for a long time. With Pablo ( Sarabia ), I thought that we could have opportunities.
Can you be satisfied with the way your players entered the game?
Yes, but we lack confidence. It was necessary to play more free. We played with too much fear of making a mistake. It's not good. We have to help the players find solutions. They will happen if everyone is there. We are too afraid to make mistakes and if we think about them too much, they happen. We lost easy balls in situations that didn't require it. We have to find that and fight at the Park in the return match.
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How to restore confidence to your players?
I heard that Liverpool lost ( note: 1-0 in Madrid against Atlético ). Things happen. We cannot think that we will win just by arriving. We will work, we will analyze. Now is not the time to lose confidence. We'll see after the second game. We might say that we are a strong team, that we are in the quarterfinals. We'll see. I am convinced that we can do it.
What did you think of Mbappé and Haaland's performance?
I'm not talking about Dortmund players. I knew for Kylian that it would be a tough match for him, with an opposing team defending very low. We tried to find Neymar because they have a good relationship but Ney lacks rhythm. The connection between the two was difficult. For Kylian, it's a match to grow and to prove when you return to the Park. He made an assist. I trust their duo at the Parc.