Despite the clear victory against Lille (3-0), this Wednesday in the round of 16 of the Coupe de France, Mauricio Pochettino explained that his players were still affected by the burglaries suffered by Di Maria and Marquinhos last Sunday.
Are you satisfied and reassured after qualifying for the quarter-finals?
MAURICIO POCHETTINO.
I am satisfied with the qualification, and happy with the state of mind after difficult days.
I'm not just talking about the defeat against Nantes, but also about all the extra-sporting events.
I take the opportunity given to me to congratulate the players, and their families who have been touched but have shown solidarity.
Did you feel your players touched by what happened this weekend?
Do you think they were still thinking about it when they entered the field?
Totally.
When things like that happen, the reason is put aside.
What works is the heart, the emotion takes over.
You think about what is happening, about your family which is above everything.
No one is prepared for this type of situation.
But the players showed an extraordinary state of mind.
Did you make the decision to have Di Maria and Marquinhos play or were they the ones who asked to play?
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With Marquinhos and Di Maria, communication is daily and constant.
We knew their condition, but we made a joint decision to count on them for this match.
You must have been happy to welcome the supporters before the match, right?
A few moments ago, Eurosport showed me on a video, a goal that I had scored against OM with the head when I was a PSG player.
I was more focused on the atmosphere, than on my purpose and my long hair.
We miss the energy of the supporters very much, it would have been beneficial to us tonight and in other matches.
It is a real disappointment not to have them by our side.
What is the weight of Keylor Navas
in your team?
I can only speak of the two and a half months I spent here.
But from what I have seen, Keylor shows an incredible competitive level.
He's one of the best goalies in the world.
He is a very important player for us.
He is currently in an extraordinary state of shape.
Did you plan to play Mbappé if Icardi was not injured?
And what can you tell us about Icardi's injury?
For Mauro it doesn't seem very serious.
And for Kylian, he was expected to play, but fewer minutes than he ended up playing.
How do you explain the new drop in the speed of your team in the second half?
In the second half, I saw a competitive Paris team, I didn't see a drop in tension.
Lille were led and took risks.
But the team fought and I'm happy with what we showed.