After the victory of PSG in Basaksehir (2-0), this Wednesday evening, Thomas Tuchel was combative despite the overall disappointing performance. The Parisian coach insisted on the delicate phase of his group linked according to him to the sequence of seasons.
What is Neymar suffering from?
THOMAS TUCHEL. Adductors. I still hope it’s not an injury. He felt he was uncomfortable, not free. That’s why he came out. I haven’t spoken to the doctor but we have to wait for the pictures tomorrow.
Do you remain satisfied with Marquinhos as a midfielder?
Yes. I have already explained and nothing has changed. Danilo and Kimpembe had a great game, they had a great performance. It’s my decision, a sporting decision. There are a lot of reasons for this. Can it happen that Marquinhos still plays a central defender? Yes. But for the moment, it is like that. I don’t understand the discussion because Marqui played games like this for us last year and the team had the best season in club history. And while he remains at this post, we are still discussing it, I find it hard to understand. When we see our matches in Portugal, I don’t see why to change. Without Marquinhos in the middle, it wouldn’t have been possible to almost win the Champions League. He was the key guy for us. And for me and for us, Danilo is more of a defender than a midfielder because we have Marqui on the pitch.
You struggled to produce the game. What is PSG still missing?
We lack preparation, many players too. We recruited a few players at the last minute and now is the time to start over. It’s not easy because last season was demanding for us. We had a confinement then suddenly (snaps his fingers), we played two finals and then Final 8 in Portugal. And on the day of the Champions League final, Ligue 1 started. And we continue, we continue, we continue … Kylian Mbappé said it, he feels mentally tired. If a coach says that, we say it’s an excuse but maybe we have to look at the truth and the reality. He said he didn’t feel it was the start of the championship. He has the feeling that we are at the end of the championship.
But maybe now is the time to fight, to win games that are not the best in the history of PSG. Of course we can play better but maybe not at the moment. We can accept that we can’t do it right now. We are able to win matches, we are very well in Ligue 1, now we have won in the Champions League. We can do better but it’s difficult at the moment yes. But I will protect my players because I know the efforts they make every day, every week. What it is to always play in the shoes of a favorite, in games behind closed doors … We have to accept that this is a phase. There are also some positive things. We have to increase our qualities on these things.
Can this last a long time?
It is still my responsibility, I have no problem with that, with the reviews. But you have to be realistic. In Italy, is Juventus in the lead? No. In England Liverpool or Manchester City? No. Barcelona or Real Madrid in Spain? No. And they were with us in Portugal for the Champions League. We are first in L1 and everyone says that, because it’s PSG, it’s easy. But no, it’s not easy. Maybe we have to accept that it’s a performance. You can’t just focus on negative things. There are things to improve for sure. And we’re never going to stop doing it.
What did you think of Keylor Navas’ performance?
The guy is always reliable, calm, laid back and super cool. It has top, top, top quality. It’s a gift for the club and for me.
Layvin Kurzawa is in great shape after having served his six suspension games in Ligue 1. Was this cut bad for good?
He had a great preparation because he was suspended. It makes a big difference. We missed him but he had the opportunity to do three weeks of only physical training. It was not easy for him because we have always played with Juan Bernat. Now, it’s extraordinary for him to always start in the Champions League, to have responsibilities, to feel the confidence of the coach.
Article original de: www.leparisien.fr
