The Parisians' day began with a red fog, triggered by smoke ignited by the 200 to 300 ultras present at Le Bourget airport on Saturday morning. These fans, boiling, deprived of the final tournament of the Champions League because of the closed door imposed by the sanitary conditions, moved to Seine-Saint-Denis for a last session of encouragement, punctuated by the drums and a banner: "Three victories for glory". A moment immortalized by the players before they board the plane for take off at 11 a.m.
🛫🇵🇹 Road to Portugal! Focused @ChampionsLeague 🔛⚽️ Thanks to the supporters! 👏🏼
Go @PSG_inside !! 🔴🔵 #Pure #icicestparis pic.twitter.com/wBGaVEXLKl
Two flights had left Paris: one made up of members of the delegation (communication, security, media club), the second with players, members of staff and the last members of security. When the second flight arrived, two buses were waiting for them: one for the staff of Thomas Tuchel and the sports management, represented by Angelo Castelazzi, Leonardo's right-hand man, another with the players, the official bus in red and blue colors. .
A schedule regulated like music paper
Half an hour's drive later, Parisians show up in front of the luxurious Wyndham Grand Algarve. About ten clients of the establishment as well as some French supporters are posted behind the regulatory security cordon. Wearing a mask is respected, as is physical distancing. From Thiago Silva, first to descend, to Neymar, last in the class, twenty-seven players are present in the Algarve, about fifteen km from the regional capital, Faro. Marco Verratti did not make the trip and will join his teammates on Tuesday in Lisbon.
The hotel has all the facilities for the seventy-two hour stay. An entire wing is devoted to PSG, so as to avoid crossings with customers. A gym, a swimming pool and a private restaurant, supervised by the club's cook, are at their disposal. The training venue is located 3.3 km away by car. A transfer always provided with the two buses for the Parisians, with a thirty-five minute gap between the staff and the players.
🆕🤳 # SinceFaro: The first strides in Portugal 🇵🇹
❤️💙 #WeAreParis pic.twitter.com/TYzYabLlIy
Open to the public, The Campus is an ultramodern sports complex, which includes a bar, a shop and also a tennis court. In the morning, Virgil van Dijk, the Liverpool defender, trained there solo. About fifty PSG supporters or football fans on vacation in the Algarve took to the scene, shirts on their backs and beer in hand. Now is the time for vacation in southern Portugal. What contrasts with the seriousness of Parisians, on a mission to their first European star.
The striking image of the day will remain that of Thomas Tuchel, harnessed and on crutches. Injured in his right foot, the German coach limited his movements, spending a good part of the day's session on the sidelines. He was able to observe Kurzawa and Mbappé working individually.
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As for the 25 other players present, they performed a session of one hour and a half, with opposition on a large field. Striking, conservation, passing and toros drills were on the program at the end of the day, while the heat subsides. The set-up for the quarter-final should take place this Sunday or Monday for two training sessions in the morning.