He’s everywhere! Solid on the field and difficult to pass, Willian Pacho shows himself a lot off it. One of the great Parisian satisfactions at the start of the season has been very present in front of the media in recent weeks. He was at a press conference this Wednesday on the eve of the match against Atlético de Madrid. Through short answers, he sought to diffuse a certain tranquility.
Paris is currently 19th in the standings, how is the situation perceived in the Champions League?
WILLIAN PACHO. To be honest, it’s a new format and there are things we don’t know yet. We always try to do things as well as possible in L1 and the same for the Champions League.
Matvey Safonov and Gianluigi Donnarumma are competing for a starting spot on Wednesday night. Which one are you most comfortable with?
Really, I feel very good with both of them, very peaceful. They are two very great goalkeepers and I know that whoever is fielded will do their best. We try to help them as best we can. We always do it as a group, it’s always good that everyone is available.
Is PSG playing its qualification against Atlético Madrid?
In reality, I think we are moving forward step by step. Tomorrow is a big home match and the objective is to win all three points.
You have been associated with Marquinhos since the start of the season, what does he bring you?
He is truly an incredible person. On a daily basis, the way he trains, experiences things, talks to us, it’s important. He helps me and gave me a lot of confidence when I started. The way he covers spaces, I learn from him every day and it allows me to grow as a person.
Luis Enrique is renowned for being a trainer with original methods, which break the routine. Were you surprised?
Things I liked and are new to me: the way he conveys things, the way he speaks to you. He always tries to say things in a positive way. He talks to us constantly, especially about the details that are important.
In what areas have you improved since your arrival in Paris and in which areas do you need to improve?
What I have improved, I feel that in duels, I play more cleanly, without making mistakes. I still have an obsession with winning the ball back to help my team. I still have a lot of room for improvement and I’m trying to learn from my teammates like Marquinhos. I would like to be more offensive, score from a corner and I am working for that.
How did you feel about your teammates before Wednesday’s match against Madrid?
We work all week to have peace of mind on game day. We had a very long week of work. We worked on trust. You always have to believe in this team. Tomorrow (Wednesday) is going to be very important and what helps us is our ongoing work.
Do you share the idea that we have seen a two-faced PSG since the start of the season: ahead and effective in L1, but in difficulty in the Champions League?
We play less regularly in the Champions League while we play every weekend in L1. But we don’t have two faces, it’s always the same game idea, we always work in the same way. We don’t yet have the expected results in the Champions League but I’m sure we will get them.
Where does your motivation come from, this warrior side that you show on the field?
Where I come from, my life has not always been easy (he lost his mother in 2019 following his first professional match with his training club Independiente del Valle), I learned to strengthen myself and It helped me a lot to face the matches. I try to improve every day. Wednesday will be a crucial match.
