“
An ambition and a duty
”.
This is how Christophe Galtier describes the quest for first place in Group H, the one that will act as a beacon for PSG in Turin this Wednesday (9 p.m.), on behalf of the sixth day of the Champions League.
Vital ?
Qualifying was.
After the card against Maccabi Haifa (7-2) last week, with a "MNM" in fusion and sharp transitions at will, lethal, it is already in the pocket.
And "
it's more pleasant
to approach this meeting under these conditions, it is not the Parisian coach who will say the opposite.
Especially since his team is on pole in the standings, with the same number of points as Benfica (11) and a better goal difference (+8 against +4).
Clearly, PSG has its destiny in its hands, even if success would not in fact ensure that it achieves its objective.
If they do better in Turin than the Lisbon people in Israel, it would be in the pocket, without having to take out the calculator.
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Not vital, therefore, this first place, but very appreciable.
And not only for a question of prestige.
Finishing in the lead is the guarantee of playing the round of 16 return to the Parc des Princes and, above all, of picking among the runners-up in the draw on Monday.
This would allow for example to avoid Bayern, Manchester City or Chelsea.
Maybe Real Madrid too.
“
We know the consequences in the draw when we are second
,” summarizes Galtier
.
“
We have this ambition, it is a very important sporting objective.
We talked about it with the players, we are all focused on it.
We have the ambition and the duty to finish first to wait for a more lenient draw.
We are very determined, very motivated, to get this first place.
“A more lenient draw, it is possible.
This is for example what we would say if Frankfurt or Bruges came out of the hat.
Dortmund and Inter Milan, it's still tough.
But not as much as Liverpool, second in their pool behind Naples and who may have regained their colors in February and March, after a failed start to the season (9th place in “PL”).
sick old lady
Winners 2-1 in the first leg, the Parisians must however beware of imagining that Juve will not put up resistance.
Already because it is Juve, "
a historic club
" as Sergio Ramos recalls, the talisman of a PSG under the colors of which he has never yet known the pangs of defeat (30 matches).
It is above all that the Turin team, certainly deprived of several of its best elements (Pogba, Vlahovic, Di Maria…) and modest seventh in Serie A 10 points behind the Neapolitan leader, will aim for third place synonymous with accession in the 16th of the Europa League, "
a great competition
" according to Max Allegri.
"
It burns hard, I'm still very angry
", plague the Italian coach,
at the idea of not being part of the spring party in C1.
"
You need a reaction, the boys had it in Lecce (1-0 victory)
", he underlines before facing "
one of the strongest teams in the world
".
Read alsoChampions League: PSG first in its pool ahead of Benfica, if…
A Parisian team which certainly has immense qualities and unparalleled attacking potential, but which will be deprived of one of its three attacking stars, Neymar, suspended.
Presnel Kimpembe and Keylor Navas will also be missing.
But it is above all the defensive errors of his players that tickle Galtier.
Especially on set pieces: “
I was very annoyed after the last two matches.
There are positions that are not good, not respected, but it is also a question of state of mind, commitment and sacrifice.
We lose a lot of second balls in the area on set pieces.
It shows a lack of concentration and investment.
It needs to be fixed.
»
With the profile of our players and our way of playing, there will be some imbalance at some point.
But...
Christophe Galtier
Last Saturday against Troyes (4-3), we also saw very reliable Parisians in transition.
“
Do we have to live in imbalance?
No.
With the profile of our players and our way of playing, there will be some imbalance at some point.
But on the reaction to the loss, I spoke about it, I will speak about it again tomorrow (this Wednesday), there is sometimes the desire but without intensity, with some restraints.
Especially in the last league match, we were very close to the ball and the opponent without winning any duels.
We must remedy this through a greater commitment and perhaps also have more work sometimes, make tactical mistakes, to stop transitions which can be dangerous
”, underlines the former coach of ASSE, Lille and Nice,
the main reason for the elimination
” of the Old Lady lies in the injuries.
"
If people think it's going to be a less tense match than another, it won't be.
We know that we will face a Juventus who will do everything to qualify for the Europa League
, ”swears the 56-year-old technician.
Drive away the ghosts of the past
It is up to the Parisians to assert their own objectives.
A pivotal moment in the season for the capital club, which knows that a first or second place can change everything.
Dominated by City in their group last season, the Rouge et Bleu had been sent into the clutches of Real.
We know the rest… “
Sometimes, the matches are irrational, with reversals of the situation
”, underlines Christophe Galtier, affirming however that “
PSG is very close to winning a trophy.
Obviously, we hope it will be this year, but it hasn't played out much in recent seasons and the scenario against Real has been incredible.
There are a lot of hopes and expectations, but the club, the president, the sports management are doing everything so that we can, one day, win this magnificent trophy.
“It may not be a great performance this Wednesday evening on the lawn of Juve, who knows.
