Women: The match against Fleury, fatigue, the expulsion Of Samoura, the hesitation afterwards, its extension, the title won, the cohesion Of the group, Jocelyn Prêcheur’s conference after PSG/Fleury (1-0)

Did you expect to win against a shooting center like that?

“No, you know, I expected a complicated match. As always against Fleury, but not necessarily to this extent. And then at a given moment, the red card, we inevitably say to ourselves that it’s a hard blow at the time. But, I almost found that we played much better at 10 than at 11. It gave us a real boost. And then behind, we managed to score this goal with perhaps a little success. But over the whole match, it is not undeserved.

We tried to produce some play. It was the rhythm that didn’t please me. I think we didn’t play, we didn’t manage to set a big pace. It was a little tense, perhaps. I don’t know if that’s it but the game was less fluid than usual. Sometimes, I want to say, a little too academic. And he lacked a little madness, notably being a little more dangerous in the finish, when we were a little higher up. And finally we really let go when Thiniba was sent off.”

Physically, it looked tough for some players after the semi-finals

“Ah yes, but it’s difficult. We are feeling the blow a little at the end of the season. But it’s somewhat legit. Because it’s true that we started a season very early. We were involved in three competitions for a very long time. With senior players who are also overworked. It was difficult. We also know that we are in a bit of a transition in the project. Where we know that there is a significant force arriving, who will come to somewhat supplement these senior players.

We have done a lot of work this season on young players who are perhaps not yet quite ready for matches at this level or the matches last week. But which will be very quickly. And when we manage to make this transition here, the training center will become a real tool for Paris Saint-Germain, as it is in the process of becoming and a great resource for the first team.

Playing with 10 allowed us to have a game with more of a 3-player defense, to be able to lean more forward. Isn’t Paris Saint-Germain’s best playing identity a 3-man defense?

“We played with 3 central defenders the whole match. A 3-5-2 as usual. And it’s true that after the expulsion, we moved instead to 2 central defenders with a defense of 4. Two lines of 4 with Tabitha who remained at the forefront. And then I asked Lieke Martens and Sandy Baltimore during the offensive phases when we recovered the ball a little to come a little inside the game. It was an effort but so that we could still try to keep it a little bit when we get it back. And then we actually had some good sequences.

Afterwards, you may not have seen it but we were supposed to switch to 4-4-3 earlier but just when I wanted to bring Jade Le Guilly in, she got injured. There was a moment of hesitation, I didn’t know if she could take on her role or not. In the meantime, there was the expulsion. In short… It was a bit of a complicated second half. We had two alerts during the warm-up, we didn’t know if Korbin Albert was going to be able to start. Afterwards we didn’t know if Sandy Baltimore would be able to start. They hurt their ankle while warming up. Behind it is Jade Le Guilly who is hurt. It almost was a dark day. In the end it’s okay, it ends well but it was so difficult.”

The players had difficulty exploiting the lanes, it improved a little in the second half especially with the entry of Jade Le Guilly.

“The returnees were good. Lieke Martens did us a lot of good when she returned. Jade Le Guilly also did us a lot of good, she brought us freshness. That’s why I would have preferred her to come home earlier. She was supposed to come in place of Thiniba Samoura as well. Yes, I would really have preferred that the change had been made earlier in fact, precisely so that we could switch to 4-3-3. Amalie Vangsgaard had to return to an axial position and then free the corridor with Jade Le Guilly who had to bring us freshness at the start.

The choice of Amalie was made because I started from the principle that when you play a 3-man defense with two number 6s, I really wanted the two pistons to be really defensive. With Sakina Karchaoui and therefore Amalie Vangsgaard who also had to return a little more. It was a little tense in the first half. We did it better in second, she was much more inside as I had asked her. And it gave us a little more density in the surface.

And it’s true that we must also emphasize that Fleury defended very, very well. A player like Kouassi, I said to myself at some point, she will stop going back and forth. And ultimately no. She made the calls behind the back, she came back every time. Obviously, there was more space at the end and they also scored on an athletic level. Because it’s true that we still made them rotate a lot in the first half. We weren’t dangerous but they still ran after the ball a lot. And that benefited us at the end of the match.”

What did you say to Thiniba Samoura when she came out? And to the other players, because we felt that they had a little doubt. Fleury missed the mark, because they had a firing position just behind.

“Yes, there was a moment of hesitation, obviously. To be honest, I didn’t communicate with Thiniba when she came out. I had a moment of hesitation at one point, I was told that the box wasn’t for her. Finally I see her come out. The 4th referee made me understand that the red was for Kouassi.

Finally, there is a moment of hesitation. And then immediately, I contacted Jackie Groenen to reorganize us while we made the change. So it’s true that during these few minutes, at the same time I have confirmation that Jade Le Guilly can return. Then we reorganized afterwards. But I agree with you, the 4/5 minutes of floating could have cost us dearly.”

Is it a title that makes you feel lighter?

“happy yes. Of course, but once again it’s especially for the players because they really wanted to make a mark in this very difficult season. Because we still come a long way with a title. So that’s done. Now, the playoffs, we also know what’s at stake. There is a match at the Parc des Princes which is important for us. We are left with a defeat which is difficult to digest at the Parc des Princes last Sunday. We are committed to giving a better performance to our fans, to offering them something different, to giving them something different. Especially when so many of them came last Sunday.

And then we were talking about the difficulty of derbies, we just did one. It further confirmed that the Ile-de-France teams, when we compete, there is always something special. Even if we go 700km to do it, it’s still complicated. And I know very well that it will be complicated next week also against the PFC with the stakes of a place in the playoff final, and therefore qualification for the Champions League.

Lighter no. We will take stock at the end. Happy, mentally satisfied, less on the performance. But we’re going to enjoy it, I won’t hide it from you, at least this evening. And afterwards, we will focus very quickly on this famous play-off phase which we have been talking about since the start of the season.

You speak mainly for the players, but for you more personally, what does this title represent? It’s still the culmination of several months’ work, there was your father in the stands.

“Yes, I’m happy on a personal level of course. I’m happy, I didn’t shy away from my pleasure of having a title, that’s obvious. But when you’re a coach, it’s a fantastic job, but you feel like you’re living a game that’s being played by other people. And the real actresses, at least that’s what I think, are always the players. Because they are the ones who make the game.

And we can show them the way, we can guide them, we can try to find the framework that allows them to express themselves best and above all to perform. In the end, they are the ones who play. So of course, it’s a satisfaction for me but especially for this group which has learned to create itself. And I would say that we saw the effects of it, when our backs were against the wall, at 0-0, at 20 minutes, at 10 against 11.

This title this afternoon allows you to be guaranteed to avoid a white season. This will be a plus for the negotiation of your extension.

“I don’t know, call the sports director (laughs) We’ll ask him the question. Things didn’t get done before. So now I think it will happen, or not, at the end of the season. We will do the assessments. There remains the Reims match to end this phase of the regular season and then it is the play-offs. There are 3 matches left and we will take stock at that time. We will sit down with my management and see what decisions will be made. From the moment it didn’t happen sooner, I quickly understood that it would happen, or not. But if it happens, it will be at the end of the season.

What exactly is wrong with Marie Katoto please?

“Marie, it’s a little complicated for me to answer you precisely. It’s still following what happened in the clash with Chris Endler in the first leg in Lyon. I think there were a lot of precautions taken by the medical staff. I’m not more alarmed than that. I know it was hard for her not to play. It was hard for us, it was hard for me too that she wasn’t there.

But I know that the biggest loser was her. I know she was keen to play this match. Now at some point, there are risks that should not be taken. Today he was not caught. The story ends well, so much the better. I hope she will be able to return to training very quickly and I am quite confident, from the start of the week, that we will have her in the play-off phase.

Wednesday, against Reims, are you putting everyone in the fridge before the final phase?

” There are chances. Afterwards, there are girls who need to play again. Because I have some very good news anyway. For Paulina Dudek, the covers are going very, very well. Clare Hunt returned to training yesterday. I have comebacks from injuries that are going to be great, so it’s going to be fantastic. Because at the end of the season I will have a complete squad. So it’s going to be great (laughs). More seriously, it’s good, the return from injuries is going really well.

It may seem anectodic and symbolic but absolutely all the players went to Montpellier, even those who were injured. They were the ones who made the request very early on, it was obvious to them that they would support the team. So when I told you that a group was formed, it is factual. And it’s something strong, which allows us from time to time to overcome challenges like this afternoon.”