PSG coach Mauricio Pochettino addressed the media on the eve of the momentous second leg of the Champions League against Real Madrid. The Argentine coach acknowledged at a press conference that Mbappé is fine, in addition to underlining the importance of knowing how to manage the pressure in this type of match.
How to prepare the game: “The best possible way. A team like PSG has to attack in the opposite field. We know it’s going to be a difficult game, we know that Madrid will be a different Madrid, we know the casualties it has. We know that it is a match that will demand a significant concentration. Adapt to the things that have changed in three weeks between the first leg and the second leg”.
Competition in goal: “Tomorrow we will have to play with a goalkeeper. The truth is that I have a lot of patience with all the journalists explaining the same thing every day for six months. We are lucky to have two great goalkeepers because the club has decided this way. We have two number ones and tomorrow the decision will be made naturally that one will have to play and the other will wait. It is clear that tomorrow there will be someone disappointed and difficult to find arguments to justify it. Having two goalkeepers in March performing at this level is very positive for the team”.
The feeling of favoritism: “In football you win and you lose. We are competitors and as Neymar said before, we are better. We just have to fill our mind with positive things. It is clear that it is a defining match. If we don’t win tomorrow there won’t be any more Champions League games and it’s something so obvious that I answer it out of respect”.
The particular party for Mbappé: “With total naturalness he faces the game. Naturalness is what the environment lacks. The environment calls for too intense driving. Internally we have absolute peace of mind that we want things very clear. Mbappé is a very mature player. I explained it weeks ago. He just wants to play football and defend the colors that his shirt wears. I have no doubt that Kylian’s performance will not be negatively affected by what he goes through abroad. He keeps the cool.”
The state of Mbappe: “Of course we talk. It’s okay, at the time she was hit, some images were released. He was sore, but afterwards, calmly and more calmly. Hopefully he can train normally now. Everything indicates that he will play ”.
If you have said not to trust the team because of Madrid’s comeback: “What I said before. The defeat of PSG, the whole environment that it generates. The machinery that is generated makes the comeback possible. We, having won the first game, have the responsibility to maintain that result. We have won the first part of the game, the second is missing. We respect Real Madrid with its great players and a team that has won 13 Champions without a match. You have to respect it. But we have no fear. We want to develop our game beyond what is externally generated. We know we have to be focused and we are prepared for that. It is a competition that every PSG fan, club member and player wants to win. We are in that fight and we will do everything possible to get through the round”.
Neymar’s reaction after losing to Nice: “I didn’t really see it. I can’t have an opinion. Neymar already spoke before. He is focused on the game, with a great mentality and optimism. We said that the competitions are different. For the club it is a different challenge. Let’s not forget that Neymar was signed to try to win the Champions League. The comparisons are hateful. Let’s let a player like him show his talent tomorrow”.
If you change the way of preparing the game for the rule of goals: “The rules are the rules and you have to respect them. I am for the work that the more even the qualifiers are, the more justice is done and that is better. In the end it is for the two equal parts. Before there was a little more advantage for the one who played at home in the second game, but now it is like this”.
What Real Madrid is expected tomorrow: “Madrid is not going to change beyond the fact that they are missing two players. The principles and philosophy of the game is the same beyond the fact that there are different decisions. We know them, we have seen all their matches and we both know each other. We know that we can change during the game. The game doesn’t pass because of what you’re going to expect from Madrid. It is going to be a team that is going to want to impose itself in its field and another team that is going to try to overcome its dominance and try to defend far from the area. It will be a question of measuring forces from the beginning and the ability to get out of the pressure, as well as being able to play in the opposite half and be able to generate chances”.
The leader in the field if the match is complicated: “We have a lot of players who are leaders on the field. It is a game that everyone plans to play from the beginning of the season. Everyone waits for March. I trust my players and what they can do. It is clear that organization and strategy can be important, but we have a great group. We also have individuals who can be leaders in the field”.
If Mbappé is the best player in the world: “It seems to me that Messi is the Ballon d’Or and he is the best player in the world. We have contenders to be the best right now to be. Mbappé’s condition speaks for itself and he is among those players who are the best. Today they are shining.”
