Rant, the word is perhaps a little strong.
A little ... But one thing is certain, Mauricio Pochettino has raised the tone as rarely since his arrival at PSG.
Wednesday evening, returning to the locker room at the break against FC Barcelona, the Argentine technician knew he could consider himself happy.
Too shy at impact, too rough with the ball at the foot, his men did not see the light of day in the first half.
Unlike the first leg, the Parisian midfielder suffered attacks from Barcelona as well as the deep passes to Dembélé.
Without an exceptional parade from Keylor Navas on Messi's penalty (45th + 3), the Parisians would even have been logically led 2-1.
"It was hot," admitted the captain, Marquinhos, at the microphone of RMC Sport at the end of the meeting.
The coach told us that it lacked commitment.
We were always a little late, it was very difficult.
As soon as we pressed, they played on the side and found themselves alone ”.
As the Brazilian taulier confides, the staff relied on video footage to prove to his players the extent of the work that awaited them on their return to the pitch.
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It is true that the copy was then a little more convincing.
Even if the Messi gang has still managed to infiltrate the opposing thirty meters on multiple occasions, evidenced by this miracle rescue of Marquinhos on Messi (61st).
At the end of the match, Pochettino preferred to retain the change in attitude and the ability of his group to take his instructions into account.
“I think that in the first half, we gambergé too much on the field, we were not thinking of the game but of this qualification.
I told them.
You had to think about the game and forget about these negative influences, he told RMC Sport.
We are in the quarterfinals and we are satisfied.
Obviously, we weren't happy with the first half, but the players were the first not to be.
Sometimes that kind of thing happens, but in the second half we were more competitive.
"
On the side of the Parisian captain, we also insist on the second act.
On this qualification, obtained thanks to the lesson inflicted three weeks ago at Camp Nou (1-4).
And of course, on the end of the 8th grade curse.
"It feels good," smiles the Parisian defender.
Ares everything we suffered, not only against Barça, but also against Manchester.
"