"
Overall, I'm happy
," savors Mauricio Pochettino.
There is something.
Admittedly, the Parisian performance against Brest, Saturday (2-0 victory), during the 21st day of Ligue 1, is not likely to jump to the ceiling.
Especially in view of the duel against Real Madrid in a month, in the Champions League.
But there was good and better against the men of Michel Der Zakarian, not the best team in the championship it is true, but all the same.
“
The addition could have been more severe in the second period… We only lost 2-0.
They were stronger than us, there was no match
”, notes “MDZ”, explaining that there was “
no photo
” after the break and that his team “
could have taken a little beating
”.
To discover
Calendar and results Ligue 1
League 1 standings
With more success, and without a few exploits from Marco Bizot, a rescue on the line, Paris-SG could indeed have made a success, as his hold was great in the second half, with chances in spades, high recoveries and a sense of mastery.
The kind of thing that we have seen too little since the start of the season, despite what the large lead in the L1 standings and the qualifications for the Coupe de France and "Champions" may suggest. .
“We have taken a step forward in construction. There are still a lot of things to improve, we know that. But in the collective, we were not bad. »
Thilo Kehrer
Already a scorer in Lyon last week (1-1), Thilo Kehrer took over on Saturday, doubling the lead after the essential Kylian Mbappé opened the scoring. Preferred to Colin Dagba to compensate for the absence of Achraf Hakimi, at CAN like Gana Gueye and Abdou Diallo, the German defender believes that Paris “
has taken a step forward in construction. There are still a lot of things to improve, we know that. But in the collective, we were not bad … We know that they are good on the counter, physical, and we were ready for that
, ”he promises, forgetting a little quickly that Gianluigi Donnarumma saved the house in the 9th facing Irvin Cardona. At that time, there was only one Parisian really "
ready
“, it was the Italian doorman, punctually rid of the competition of Keylor Navas, “covid”.
“
It was a difficult stop to make, a good stop, but as I said before, the team can count on me
”, insists the ex-Milanese.
Read alsoTops / Flops PSG-Brest: Mbappé and “Marqui” of course, the failures of Cardona and the Brestois
Donnarumma, one of the strong men of PSG on Saturday evening, with Mbappé of course, Marquinhos of course, but also Marco Verratti, the essential belt in the middle when his body leaves him alone and he can continue.
“
We didn't start very well, we conceded chances.
Afterwards, we were better in place, we put the game out, we played simple and we created chances.
If we play well and as a team, with the players we have, we will create chances and it will be better and better
”, analyzes the “little Owl”, brilliant in the organization on Saturday, dangerous with this post in start of the second half and even carrying the voice of reason when he tried to calm Mbappé, when the latter stormed after the referees.
Five-man defense is 'an option'
Strong individuals, therefore, a relatively interesting collective, and even ideas on the tactical level, with the use of the defense at five (or three, it depends) at the end of the match, with the entry of Sergio Ramos . A scheme that many have been calling for for a long time given the characteristics of Parisian players, their profile. “
Anything is possible. It is an option. We did it during the game. We had done it before. A defense with three with pistons on the sides, it is necessary well to animate it. The players are not pawns that are placed on the field with arrows... It takes work
“, underlines Pochettino, who will benefit from a new week full of work before facing Reims, next Sunday (8:45 p.m.), during the 22nd day.
And this without going through the Qatar box, where PSG was initially to leave for an internship on Sunday.
"
The performance, especially in the second half, gives confidence
," sums up the Argentinian technician.
Read alsoLigue 1: "You don't even know how to referee here!", Mbappé gets angry during PSG-Brest
A trust that we will have to continue to build on during the coming month.
All while integrating or reintegrating players who are destined to start against the leader of La Liga, from Neymar Jr to Lionel Messi, via Sergio Ramos, Achraf Hakimi and undoubtedly Gana Gueye.
Returns that change the game in fact and that could reshuffle the cards in depth.
In summary, the PSG site is not complete, far from it.
The victory against Brest, after four draws in five L1 matches, simply shows that there is hope.
It's already that...
