Winning its very first title of the season and keeping its hands on this award that it has won ten times in the last eleven editions, this will be the objective of PSG this Sunday, 5:30 p.m., against AS Monaco at the occasion of this Champions Trophy relocated to Doha. Before returning to the pitch of a stadium 974 that he entered two years ago with Brazil during the 2022 World Cup, Marquinhos, the captain of PSG, spoke at a press conference about his ambitions for 2025.
The victory in Salzburg in the Champions League was followed by a flawless performance until the break. Did she also lay the foundations for the start of the year?
MARQUINHOS. Yes, we had a string of good performances, especially victories which gave us confidence and good momentum. Even though there were the end of year holidays, we are ready. Before the break we were preparing for this important meeting. We played Monaco recently and even if the story of the match will be different tomorrow, we have improved in recent weeks. We are always looking for progress and I have the feeling that that is what we have done so far.
What does a player like Lucas Hernandez bring to the team?
He is an important player in the team, who has important titles and experience even though he is still young. He brings grit to a team. He is one of the leaders on the field and in the locker room. It hurt us to see him injured, to see him sidelined for a long time. But he's worked a lot since then and he deserves to be back. We are all happy for him. The coach and the team have confidence in him. It's very important to have him with us.
What are your ambitions for 2025?
We all know that the important moments of the season are coming. Even though we have already played a lot of matches, the decisive moments are coming and the important matches, those which decide the titles, are ahead of us. It's up to us when we return from vacation to think about being very competitive and having the best possible team because all the matches are important. From January, we have 7 matches to play. It starts tomorrow, where a great victory would give us courage for the big confrontations in the second half of the season.
You've been together for two days. Does this help you with group cohesion and future deadlines?
Yes, trips like these, where we eat together, we live together in the hotel, we don't leave each other, it's part of cohesion. We see how well the group lived these two days, it feels good. This must be verified tomorrow in terms of results and export this cohesion to the field in order to start this second part of the season well.
With Brazil, you have already played at Stadium 974 against South Korea during the 2022 World Cup. What memories do you have of it?
Yes, it's true, I remember this match and Kang In Lee. He was very young but already had great potential. We both talked about this moment when he arrived in Paris. We won 4-1 and put in a good performance. I have good memories of this stadium with Brazil, undoubtedly better than those of the Koreans. But I hope that we will have good shared memories tomorrow with Kang-in and that we will bring home a first title.
Would scoring the occasion against a strong opponent like Monaco allow you to get 2025 off to a good start?
Yes, our coach is very demanding of us. He is in every match and with everyone on the field. Whether it's an L 1 match, a Cup match or a final, he has the same demands. It will be like this tomorrow and the whole month of January. That’s why we’re at PSG, to win every match. We know from our experience that this kind of match can launch the team into the second half of the season.
You are undefeated in L 1 this season but in difficulty on the European scene. How do you explain the difference in performance of PSG in France and in Europe?
There is always a difference between these competitions, but it is difficult to explain our situation in the Champions League. Even though we didn't manage to capitalize on our chances, we put in a good performance. We lacked efficiency, which is undoubtedly what explains the difference. The Champions League has a new formula that we didn't really understand at the start. There everyone understands everything, especially the importance of each match. In national competitions we are doing very well, we have qualified for the Coupe de France and in L 1 we are 10 points ahead. It's up to us to continue working to be consistent in all competitions.
Should an event like this Champions Trophy serve the image of Qatar or French Football?
Everything goes together. Every time we come here, we have a good time as a group, it enhances the life and culture of Qatar but also Ligue 1 thanks to the spectacle that two great teams can offer with confidence, everything goes hand in hand.
What did you remember from Monaco after the championship match three weeks ago?
Even if we played against Monaco last month, tomorrow will be different. Both teams have studied their opponent and will change what didn't work in the first clash. These are two courageous teams who are not afraid to try, who play well, are aggressive… In Monaco, they are young but have courage and experience, they showed it against us. Even though we won this match, we know it will be difficult. The finals are decided on details. We will try to swing them to our side tomorrow.
Will your future always be written at PSG?
Our future, we never know. Football moves very quickly. For now, all my thoughts and motivation are with PSG. We still have important matches to play. I am very happy, I still have a lot to give to PSG. I can still contribute a lot.
