After the difficult success reported from Haifa (3-1), Paris travels to Lyon this Sunday (8:45 p.m.) without its injured Presnel Kimpembe and Renato Sanches.
Christophe Galtier takes stock of the state of form of his troops, in particular the attacking trio Mbappé-Neymar-Messi.
In midfield, Verratti and Vitinha play a lot.
How do you judge them and won't they end up being tired?
CHRISTOPHER GALTIER.
Obviously I am satisfied with their association.
They are players with a lot of activity, a lot of volume.
They are also very good footballers.
In relation to the game that I want to see, it is important to have very good footballers in the heart of the game. It is true and we can see it: from the moment we all defend less together, it is two boys who can be in trouble.
There are other possible associations.
We can find ourselves with three midfielders in certain matches or during the match to have a better defensive base and perhaps more play in the transition.
They have chained a lot even if Marco has not played all of the last four games.
I have not yet made my final decision to know how and with whom the midfielder will be formed on Sunday evening.
We felt the front three blunted in the Champions League, you talked about giving up.
How are you going to change the situation in this match against Lyon and is a turnover possible?
Yes, I used this term after the match and having seen the match again and after talking to each other, I think the trip may have had a lot of people.
It was a very long trip, with a lot of hours by plane, two hours by bus, the heat, the very high humidity.
And as much as we had 10-12 very interesting minutes, we had a big half-hour where we were in great difficulty but in general.
Of course, at some point we saw a team block completely cut in two.
Because also we had a lot of technical errors very high and really not usual.
Was it related to fatigue, playing conditions, the pitch?
Surely there is all that.
But, in the second period, having talked a lot with the players at the break and having modified certain positions on a defensive level, we had a team much less cut in two and especially offensive players who were decisive.
And therein lies the whole paradox of this fair balance.
Because it is true that in Haifa if we are down 2-0 at a certain point, what would have been the outcome of the match?
But we have players who can be decisive at any time and they have been.
As for knowing which team we will have tomorrow, we still have 24 hours to properly analyze all this but it seems to me that everyone is well and everyone wants to play that match.
It's a big meeting.
As soon as one of the three is less involved in the defensive withdrawal, the team is in difficulty.
How is the alternation of defensive efforts organised?
They all have a very high level experience, even if Kylian is much younger, and this ability during the match to make decisions on the field.
Very often obviously that I ask the three for an investment and we quickly realize that Ney can be the one with the best defensive withdrawal.
That he has this ability and this desire sometimes to be in a three-man environment.
Kylian still maintains a lot of pressure on the opposing defense.
When you're a defender and you have Kylian lurking that's a big sticking point.
We saw it in Haifa if he succeeds in his face to face with the goalkeeper, the match can change quickly.
As for Leo, he has a totally different register. He is still very well placed.
When we are in trouble and we give him the ball,
it is very rarely lost and it triggers an attack very quickly.
But obviously Ney is the one who gives the best balance because he has these characteristics.
Marquinhos appears for several weeks in difficulty.
We feel that he has fewer benchmarks in the three-man system.
Does this animation weaken it?
And have you thought about dismissing him, in particular because of Ramos' ability now to chain?
No, in no case did I think of removing the captaincy from Marqui.
He's been at the club for 10 years, he's an important player for the club and the championship.
He has this ability to be able to speak and interact with the referees.
On his ability to be a good captain, he is beyond reproach.
He knows when he has to speak, when he can come see me to share certain points of view collectively, on how we can organize our weeks.
He is a very good relay for me.
In the locker room there is not only one captain.
I have several relays.
Of course Sergio is part of it, like Kim, Marco, Kylian… And everyone participates in the life of the group and the story of a match.
On his services, I am a little surprised by this analysis and I do not fully agree with it.
He must assimilate a new system, like others.
It is an important element.
He is the one who most often has the ball at his feet.
He is a very good receiver, he is clean in the game. And the fact of having positioned him in the center - since I saw at the start of the season that there was a debate on the fact that it should be Sergio or Marqui - it's that I've always preferred to have speed really on the axial central defender to give cover on the right or on the left.
Beyond the controversy over the movements of PSG, could you describe what it represents and is it comparable with what you experienced in Saint-Étienne or Lille?
No.
Never.
There is a very big organization and it is perfect.
I discover it.
PSG's squad is made up of world-class players.
With a very large exposure.
There is a lot of security around our team.
Everywhere we go, there is a big reception committee in the hotels, the airports.
And that's why we really have to protect the group.
Players are in high demand.
There are really a lot of people, people who want a photo, an autograph, a smile, a handshake… There is everything we need to bring so that the players recover as quickly as possible after the match.
What I discover here obviously I had never seen.
What did you think of Hugo Ekitike's first weeks and what should he do to hope for more playing time?
Hugo is a player with incredible potential.
He arrived with a little muscle discomfort so we had to be very careful.
He discovers what the very high level is.
It took him a lot of sessions to find his bearings in the game. To also be in connection with the offensive animation.
He is making great progress.
He is very good at the sessions.
Of course there are ants.
It itches.
I have already told him: the good times will come very quickly.
He also tries to perfect himself even more on a technical level.
And very quickly, he will have much, much more playing time.