Ligue 1, 19th day – PSG do not believe in miracles and demand more respect for teams like Lorient – Eurosport FR

PSG continues its mysterious journey in Ligue 1. Undisputed leader of the championship with 13 points ahead of its new runner-up, OGC Nice, the capital club has yet again shown a very uneven image against a more competitive opponent. modest on the lawn of the Moustoir Wednesday evening, a few hours before the short Christmas holidays. Well shaken by a sharp FC Lorient in the transition phase, and able to put a lot of intensity, Paris bent, broke, but he finally still found a way to avoid defeat as against Lens there are almost three weeks.

Already a scorer against OL in added time at the Parc des Princes this fall, Mauro Icardi once again played the saviors at the very start of added time thanks to a pricked head that bore the seal of the fox surfaces. Without Kylian Mbappé, but with an inspired Lionel Messi and in legs, Paris, reduced to ten in the second half after the sudden and a little silly expulsion of Sergio Ramos, was threatening offensively during this animated meeting, but he did not not been effective. On arrival, there was no concern in the ranks of the club in the capital. Not being good for a whole encounter is still not something to be alarmed about.

Miraculous Paris, really? Or Paris rewarded for its self-sacrifice? Maurio Pochettino chose the second option at Canal +. “Why a miracle? We scored a great goal. I think we deserved to score earlier, we had a lot of chances in the second half“. Same story with Marquinhos.”Yes it’s true (we haven’t seen a great PSG). But it’s not a miracle, we worked, we tried. We got the ball (…) they waited behind. They waited for our mistakes to counter, they managed to score and have other chances, a explained the Parisian captain to Canal + after the meeting. We had one less player in the second half and we managed to equalize. We also had opportunities. I think if we scored our chances in the first half the game would have changed.”

For his part, Ander Herrera defended the overall record of PSG, which came into ambush at the Moustoir, and especially far from being crushed. “It was a very, very difficult game, they are very well organized. They played very defensively. Even against an organized team, I think we deserved to win, we have 5-6 clear chances to win the match. But if you don’t score, you will suffer. (…) They try to play fast when they have the ball. I think we did everything to win, but we didn’t score. “

We must “respect Lorient”

Regarding the poor performance against the 19th in Ligue 1, especially in the first act, Marquinhos recognized that the whole team wanted to do better, especially to avoid saying that only the result mattered. The Brazilian has his little opinion on the evils of PSG, it is the low blocks willing to counter their offensive armada.

“We also want the match to materialize more easily, but it’s not always easy. The teams are always very motivated against PSG, they sometimes put us in difficulty by being all behind, defending low, analyzed the Brazilian international. The block was compact and it was not easy to play like that. They defended well and I think any team that plays them is going to be in trouble as well. ”

Confident, “Marqui” also targeted his team’s current shortcomings. “It’s up to us to lose fewer balls, to be more vigilant behind, to be able to recover the ball higher, but also to have more movement in front to create more chances. These are small details that ‘we can improve. “

Ander Herrera went further in his demonstration. According to him, the Ligue 1 teams are quite simply taken from the top. “Marseille did not win, Rennes lost. Ligue 1 is strong. I think there is not enough respect for the teams. Lille beat Sevilla (in the Champions League) and everyone in Spain says Sevilla will try to win La Liga, the same for Monaco with Real Sociedad (in the Europa League). This season, we have seen that the level has risen. The opponents are getting better and better. We must also have respect. But we are 13 points ahead of the 2nd and I think that says it all. “

Mauricio Pochettino followed his men: Paris doesn’t look down on anyone. “We must respect the opponent, we must respect Lorient. Everyone must respect Lorient. We respect Lorient because it’s a good Ligue 1 team. Maybe now they’re 19th, but maybe they’ll finish in another position. If you underestimate this team, it’s hard to play. ”

The Argentinian made amends, not on his tactical approach (he did not try the three-axial defense with the entry of Sergio Ramos in the second half), but in the way of doing on the lawn. “For us, it was difficult because of the circumstances. We started the game well. But we were wrong in the way we played them. We let them play in transitions. They were good at it. second half, we tried to create, we solved problems, we were better, we created chances. As long as we are alive, we can score. It’s the same scoring in the 1st minute and to the last. “

The continuation for Paris, leader criticized, but undisputed for the moment, it is a short vacation for the end of the year holidays. Most players will indeed leave France to return to their countries and join their relatives in a context of a growing pandemic. Then, 2022 will begin with the Coupe de France, with a trip to Vannes in the round of 16, five Ligue 1 matches, then the return of the Champions League against Real Madrid in February. A beautiful program that is. Marquinhos recognized it: the players need to breathe before these deadlines. “It was a start to the season where we did a lot, with the selection in particular. I think the holidays will be good. “