MADRID, 13 Feb. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Fabián Ruiz insisted that the Parisian team does not feel “the obligation” or “the pressure” to win the Champions League, with Real Sociedad, “a great team”, “very well organized”, as a rival in the round of 16 of the 2023-2024 Champions League.
“I know Real Sociedad well. We know that they are a great team. They have very high-quality players, they are a very well-organized team and they work very well under pressure. We know that they are going to play a one-on-one match, between both teams.” We like to have the ball,” Ruiz analyzed in the preview of the first leg against the Basques this Wednesday (9:00 p.m.).
This is “an important match” for PSG, although “the atmosphere” in the Parc des Princes “is the same, with a lot of desire and a lot of enthusiasm.” “We are calm, we know that we have been doing things well, we are very happy. It will be a difficult match, like the previous ones, but in a competition in which we are very excited,” he commented.
“We prepare it like every game, with the same desire, with the same enthusiasm, with everything the coach asks of us, because what is important is to be ready, in the Champions League you always have a great opponent. To win you have to do things better than them and, of course, be focused for 90 minutes,” he said as a recipe for victory.
The midfielder reiterated that “what happens abroad” and what is generated in the media does not affect the squad. “It is a very beautiful competition that provokes great enthusiasm. And PSG must be present in all European competitions, but we do not feel this obligation to win it, nor that pressure,” he commented.
“I feel good as a pivot. A little further forward he has the freedom to reach the area a little further, and in the other position you have to be a little more aware of the vigilance in counterattacks, in the release of the ball, more positioned” , analyzed his participation as '5' in the team coached by Luis Enrique.
Thus, he explained that the team is immersed in a “natural” adaptation process. “The coach comes with his idea of the game and we have to apply it and show it to him on the field. Now we have a very good dynamic. We have been working together for months, in many games, and I think it is something that can be seen well now on the field “Tomorrow will again be a good test to be able to show all this in such a beautiful competition,” he said.
Finally, Fabián Ruiz did not reveal if Kylian Mbappé has already decided his short-term future, because they are “focused on the match against Real Sociedad.” “His future as a footballer will be decided by him. Right now, the issue in the locker room is tomorrow's game,” he said.