This Saturday, as part of the 25th day of Ligue 1 2024-2025, Paris Saint-Germain took on Rennes at the Parc des Princes. Habib Beye, coach of the Rennes team, spoke to beIN SPORTS after the Parisians’ 1-4 victory (video highlights Rennes/PSG). He spoke of the defeat, which came at a hopeful 1-2, but stressed that PSG deserved their victory.
Beye “an infernal machine this season”.
Do you have any major regrets about the match?
Yes, that’s the feeling. We dominated a lot, we were at home, we had the ball. We caused them a lot of problems and had three great opportunities to come back. We didn’t do it, and you know that if you don’t count these teams out, you pay for it. We knew very well that we wouldn’t have the ball for the whole game.
We had to have a little more personality in the second half, and our occupation of the pitch in high positions. Above all, we wanted to keep the ball, and we did that better in the second half. But if we don’t make the most of those moments, we’re at the mercy of PSG, who have been a hellish machine this season.
Beye “In soccer there is no injustice, we took 4 goals and these goals are deserved for the Parisians.”
80% possession in the first half for PSG.
You know that in Ligue 1 and in Europe nobody takes the ball away from them. Stade Rennais aren’t going to change that. You know they’re going to get it, that’s the quality of lui Enrique. You’ve got quality all over the pitch and you’ve got to be better at defending yourself, and that’s what we did well in the first half.
We tried to contain them, and you saw Liverpool get the same punishment, not in terms of the scoreline but in terms of the way Paris controlled the match. We upped the tempo in the second half and that’s very interesting for us. The score is the reality of the match. There’s no injustice in soccer, we took 4 goals and those goals are deserved for the Parisians. Even if it’s hard for us.
Beye “PSG must win at Anfield, it’s important for French soccer.”
Congratulations, because the team’s momentum is still going strong?
Thank you, we didn’t want to change our mindset. We didn’t want to change our game plan, in other words, we’ve got a mindset that’s been established for a few games now. We want to go after our opponents, and that’s what we did best in the second half. We succeeded in putting on a lot of pressure in their own half.
The team got stronger as the game went on, and we’re going to have to be better all round if we hope to beat this type of team. We’re going to keep working in that direction, because the momentum is positive. We mustn’t let this be the end of the road, though. For the time being, we may not be ready to take on the top 3 or top 4 teams in Ligue 1. We need to see PSG win at Anfield, which is important for French soccer.
Beye: “You have to accept this kind of defeat because it’s real.
Did you put in a good performance in the second half?
Yes, at half-time I told them that they had to feel that they were capable of controlling the game. We have to go to them, force them to play long, put pressure on them. You have to be able to stay in their own half, and if it’s two on two, it could be another game.
The reality of the scoreline is what it is, and I’ll always say it in soccer: PSG scored 4 goals because we were lacking in the last 10 minutes. It’s probably a case of tiredness, and you have to accept this kind of defeat because it’s real.
