Before the reception of Reims on Sunday, Mauricio gave reassuring news of Kylian Mbappé hit in the adductor but back in training this Saturday. The Argentine coach also confided that he can count on Lionel Messi, recovered from his Covid-19.
Kylian Mbappé trained this Saturday. Will he be available for the match against Reims this Sunday?
MAURICIO POCHETTINO. We are happy with the way he has recovered from his little problem. He trained yesterday and today with the group. He will be with the group tomorrow, and we will take the decision on his tenure tomorrow.
Is Lionel Messi finally ready to play?
He trained well this week. And we are satisfied with its evolution. This is good news, he too will be in the group. We are happy that he is with us after a period of inactivity.
What is your assessment of Messi after 5 months at PSG?
I am happy. He brings us his performance and raises the level of the team. We must also remember that he has 7 Golden Balls and we can measure what he can bring to the team.
Di Maria and Donnarumma said this week that a progression in mentality is needed at PSG. Do you agree with that?
Everything is important, we are in a multifactorial system. Mindset is important when talking about commitment or resilience. But we cannot leave aside the preparation of the meetings like the methodology, the game with or without the ball, the system used.
Ndombélé who we talk a lot about during this transfer window, does he have a technical profile that your team lacks?
I don’t like talking about rumors or players who are at other clubs. I am happy with the squad I have. We have a quality workforce, with a club that made a major effort during the last transfer window to have a balance. But the market is open, and there may be situations where players want a change of scenery.
You play one match a week during this month of January, which allows you to work well. What areas do you particularly emphasize?
We worked on a little bit of everything that you can’t normally work on when you play every 3 days. We focused on the possession game, we are a team that has a lot of the ball, so we put in place movements to hurt the opponent. We also insisted on defensive transitions to put ourselves in less danger. Without forgetting the physical part of course.
We saw a serious PSG team against Brest last Saturday. Do you think it’s the next game against Real Madrid that pushes your players in this direction? And do you see an increase in power?
We have time to work, so it allows us to assimilate the concepts well. I don’t think it’s only related to the imminence of the match against Real Madrid
Neymar is due to resume racing early next week. Do you think he’ll be ready for Madrid’s reception on February 15?
Neymar has a lot of motivation. He’s a very emotional person, and he gives off a very good energy. I spoke with him yesterday and the evolution of his injury is good.
Are young players like Simons or Michut guaranteed to be with the professional squad until the end of the week?
Young people must deserve to be in the professional group and train with it. They must have the mentality and the motivation for that. For some they will assert themselves in a few months, for others it will take a year. Each case is unique.