"I never doubted. Thilo Kehrer's statement at the beginning of February may come as a surprise, as the others have taken care of it for him. The 23-year-old German defender, who arrived for 37 million euros in the summer of 2018, will hold the post of right-back against Dortmund, due to the suspension of Thomas Meunier.
A return to the heart of the arena, a year after elimination against Manchester United (1-3), where a bad pass behind him had put Romelu Lukaku and the Red Devils on the rails. As for PSG, this evening in hell had completely overshadowed its excellent performance of the first leg (2-0), at the same position of right side. Add to this four penalties caused last season, an end in pudding water and a long arch injury that kept him away from the field almost for the first part of this season, and we can say, without pouring in the cliché, that the German returns from afar.
"We focused on the sport, we did not talk about much, errors, situations, pressure, details Thomas Tuchel when talking about the recovery of his compatriot. We push the players and protect them at the same time. That's what we did with Thilo and he came back very strong. It's sport, these are situations that push to improve, we have confidence. "
"I learned some things about myself"
At Camp des Loges, during the dark months, Kehrer tirelessly returned a positive attitude, repeating his conviction to see the end of the tunnel. The defender is close to Julian Draxler, his galley companion at the start of the season, Eric Choupo-Moting, but also to Kylian Mbappé and the other young Frenchmen in the group.
During his convalescence, he notably spent time developing his foundation, launched recently to help the youth of Burundi, his mother's country who passed on French as his inheritance. Since his return to the field, he has alternated, as since his arrival in Paris, between the positions of right side and central defender, with a rather higher performance in the axis. His versatility extends to his feet: he prefers to strike from the right, but center from the left.
On Eurosport, this week, the German international (7 selections) once again illustrated its adaptability and optimism. “After my injury in the first half of the season, I really want to play as much as possible. I have learned some things about myself, to have patience because it is not an easy time. I really feel 100%, physically and mentally strong. I feel very good, I try to do everything to keep it that way. […] I also like to adapt to the positions. Afterwards, it's true that when you play the same station several times, you can get more used to it. "
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A wish not necessarily heard by Tuchel, who aligned him twice on the right since the first leg in Dortmund (against Bordeaux and Dijon), but also once in the axis (in Lyon).