PSG coach Mauricio Pochettino addressed the media on the eve of the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 match against Real Madrid. The Argentine coach praised Real Madrid at a press conference, in addition to acknowledging that the tie is, at the moment, more even than ever.
Criteria for tomorrow’s goal: “They are the same as since the beginning of the season. We go by the criteria that have worked. The position in goal is well covered, we have two goalkeepers who I think have worked so far in the way we have managed the situation. “
Gueye: “He’s practically gone a week without training, I don’t think they’ll start tomorrow.”
The pressure: “We respect Real Madrid as one of the best teams in the world, for its titles as well. The 13 Champions League is not a question of coaches, but because it is an internal strength as a club. When you win it is always because it is a set of things that make the clubs show that power, more so in a competition like the Champions League. I think there is no favorite, I think it is a tie that could be a Champions final, by name, by players and by quality. We are the applicants and , beyond everything that has been seen, especially because of the club’s effort to put together a squad to achieve the long-awaited dream, we are still contenders. Because Madrid has the habit of winning the Champions League. But we are not going to go victims. I trust my team, my club and the fans who show us energy. I can say that the tie before it starts is even”.
The evolution of the team: “I see the team doing well, normal. It’s not necessary to touch the fibers in a game like this. Everyone has great motivation and excitement to be helping the team tomorrow in any position. I see Messi doing well, with desire. In matches like tomorrow’s, his experience is important, because what he can transmit to the rest of his teammates plays a fundamental role”.
The games he has won in the final stretch: “It talks about the players and their mentality. We are instigators of creating a platform so that they can improve through their commitment, mentality, work and effort. The merit goes to them, the footballers. If there is one important thing, it is that the The only one injured is Ramos. We have an almost complete squad. A squad that always believes. These types of situations are very favorable. We are the team that has conceded the fewest goals in Ligue 1, I think we have only conceded two so far this year. lost few games. Talent is not only in creating offensive situations, but also the talent of the team is fundamental as well. There are many positive things to highlight. Sometimes there is an excessive expectation, which does not understand contexts and circumstances. Since the summer we have been living a lot of confusion. Luckily we have a coaching staff, a club, a structure and players who live in reality. And that reality means that we are making an effort on a day-to-day basis. The most important thing is that tomorrow we are going to compete in the best way against one of the best, if not the best club in the world. We are confident that we will be close to passing.”
The memory of Tottenham-Real Madrid in 2017: “Yes, I remember that we won 3-1 at Wembley and tied at the Bernabéu. It is a different team, a different coach. We are also a different team. The most important thing is that a midfield with Modric, Casemiro and Kroos, who know each other perfectly. See if there is a difference that we are a team that has known each other in the summer. The time, the players getting to know each other, in that possibility of coexisting, not only in training, but also outside, and that It’s also tactics. The most important thing in a football team is to create, so that later talent is easier to apply. I don’t see similarities, but what I feel is that Real Madrid must be respected, beyond moments or the performances in which you face them. As a club, they have an incredible strength that makes the team raise the level in the important moments of the season. If you review those years, in La Liga they were not good, in the Cup either, but in the Champions they ended up ga swimming, not playing well either, that is the reality, but they won. Because they had that sacred union and that ability to compete, beyond football aesthetically, I’m interested, but they competed very well. But they were decisive in that belief, rather than highlighting those kinds of things at the time.”
What is left for him to do before playing tomorrow: “Having clear ideas and the conviction that what we are going to do is the right thing. We can propose, share, the players may or may not agree… The most important thing about these training sessions is to be convinced that the way to apply tomorrow is the best. And when the team is convinced, it is the best thing, since we have the talent. In the analysis and in the way in which we can take advantage of our virtues against the lesser strengths of a team like Real Madrid. to counteract their strengths.
If you are in love with PSG: “I am a lost romantic of the old guard. Every project in which I am involved moves me by love. Passion and my heart is what I have always followed. When in doubt, I have always chosen my heart. I believe that in this way things can come to fruition. That is my personal belief. To do your job well, I think that for our part I transfer my coaching staff and I see in players like Marquinhos, that the heart always prevails over any other feeling and that it is what mobilizes and moves the energy that may be possible to bring us the things we dream of”.
Gueye and Diallo: “Each club has a reality. I don’t know what happens with Mané in Liverpool. We make what we consider to be the best decision. We have a very talented squad, with many players who deserve to be considered in the eleven. And, due to the circumstances that I have mentioned , tomorrow they are not going to start from the start. It does not mean that they will not play the next one. We are here to make decisions and to give the team the most convenient in each game”.