It was Neymar who first got the ball rolling.
Then came the turn of Mauricio Pochettino to answer questions from journalists this Tuesday evening at a press conference.
A few minutes before heading to the Bernabeu lawn to lead the final training session before the Round of 16 second leg against Real, the PSG coach said he was confident of seeing Kylian Mbappé tomorrow night. sending this shock that he intends to win to continue his journey in the competition.
What is the best way to approach this 1/8 return to keep the advantage acquired in the first leg?
MAURICIO POCHETTINO.
The best way to defend a result is to attack, dominate and play on the opposing side.
We were able to do it at home in the first leg.
Tomorrow, the context will be different, not only because of the injuries.
We know it's a final.
The match will impose on us a requirement, an optimal concentration.
Has the time come, as you evoked it this autumn, to make a choice between Donnarumma and Navas?
I have a lot of patience with the media.
It's been seven to eight months that the question comes back on the carpet.
We have two goalkeepers at the top.
Tomorrow one will play and the other will have to wait.
There will be disappointment and criticism.
It will be necessary to find arguments for one as for the other.
But we are happy with the way we managed it and to arrive in March is very positive.
Would an elimination put negative pressure on the group and you?
What I feel is that we doubt all the time and that we always see things from the negative side.
This is not the case on the Real side.
In football, you can lose as you can win.
We see things on the positive side, we do not envisage defeat.
We focus on the positive side.
Obviously, it's a decisive match, a final.
If we don't win, there won't be any more Champions League matches.
We know it.
𝑫𝒆 𝑷𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒔 𝒂̀ 𝑴𝒂𝒅𝒓𝒊𝒅 🇪🇸#RMPSG pic.twitter.com/iBK4HfXbwA
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_inside) March 8, 2022
How to manage the media whirlwind around
Kylian Mbappé
and this clash against Real?
You have to stay natural.
Sometimes there is too little around.
Sometimes we talk about it in an exaggerated way.
We are calm.
Kylian is a mature player, even if he is young.
He wants to play football and defend his colors, play hard.
I don't doubt Kylian for a moment, he plays it calm and quiet.
Do you feel he is fit to play tomorrow?
It is well.
When he received the blow, he cried out in pain.
But after a few hours he felt better, could walk quietly.
I hope he can train well after the press conference.
Do you think he is the best player in the world?
I think Messi is the best player in the world with seven Ballons d'Or.
We have players who are among the best players in the world and Kylian Mbappé is one of the best players in the world.
Do you have the feeling that the forces have reversed with Real, who today seem to be favorites?
That's what I was talking about before.
Here the media are talking about the possibility of seeing Real qualify... We won the first leg, our responsibility is to keep that advantage.
We respect Real, when a club wins 13 Champions League, it is not due to chance.
But we are not afraid of Madrid, we will play our game, make our match, even if the external sensations are there.
We are ready!
This is the competition that any member of the staff or club team would love to win.
We will do everything to qualify for the quarter-finals.
What type of Real Madrid do you expect?
It is clear that Real will not change the way they play.
There are absentees, Casemiro and Mendy, but the game philosophy is the same.
We already know each other, we have seen all their matches, they have seen all of ours.
We mustn't wait for anything, we have to put on the intensity because we know that they will want to win.
We will try to challenge them for control of the ball to get away from our area.
It's the ability to have the ball and get it out that will make the difference.
It's a match that will undoubtedly be tactical.