Paris Saint-Germain striker Marco Asensio spoke to the Parisian club’s website. He spoke about the “Classique” between Olympique de Marseille and PSG at the Stade Vélodrome this Sunday at 8:45pm, which will count towards the 9th day of Ligue 1. He explained that he was well aware of the importance of this match and that the team would give everything to win. He also spoke of last year’s Classics, and in particular the fans’ joy at the incredible welcome back from Marseille.
Asensio “It’s one of the things they tell us, that it’s one to mark on the calendar”
The Classic”
It’s one of the things they tell us, that it’s one to mark on the calendar, that the Classic is a very important match for us, for the club, for the fans, and I had the experience last year of being able to win both classics and it was a very good experience.
Everyone at the club knows how important it is, how important the classic is for us. We’re going to try to win, to make the PSG fans very proud of us, as we did last year.
Is OM better than last year?
Yes, we know that they’ve strengthened up a lot, that they want to fight for the championship and we know that it’s an important match, not just because of the classic but because they’re a direct rival to win the championship so we’re 100% ready and we want to win this match.
We want to win this match, firstly because it’s the classic, but also because it’s very important for the championship.
Asensio: “It was a spectacular welcome”.
Last year’s victory
In the end, we knew it was going to be a complicated game. I think the team was very good, very focused, and we played a great game and deserved to win. And then, when we arrived in Paris, the welcome from the fans was incredible and that’s something I have very fond memories of.
To be honest, it was incredible. It was a spectacular welcome. It was the first time I’d been able to experience something like that, and it was a great moment of communion between the fans, the players and the staff.
You scored
These are also emotional, passionate matches, where you have to try and ignore the noise outside.
At the end of the day, you have to tell yourself that it’s a match like any other, even if it’s a classic and a very important match, and try to keep a cool head, do what you always do on the soccer pitch and, from there, grow as the match progresses, gain in confidence, and do what you know how to do and from there things will surely go very well.
Asensio “Don’t give in, especially in the first few minutes, because at the end of the day, they’re going to increase the pressure in the first few minutes”
How will it go?
Ultimately we’re going to keep repeating what we’ve been doing: get the ball, attack, press well after losses and above all continue to defend well.
Don’t give in, especially in the first few minutes, because at the end of the day, they’re going to increase the pressure in the first few minutes, they’re going to play a lot in their own half and from then on we’re going to manage and control the game, create chances and be the protagonists as we want to be in every game.
Asensio: “The second year is always better than the first”.
At the end of the day, a project started last year with a new coach, new players where we all had to get to know each other, adapt and I think at the end of the day, in any project, the second year is always better than the first because the idea of what the coach wants has consolidated.
And I think that’s why he said that this year we can be better as a team and get very good results. We thank you for your support and we’ll do everything to give you joy with a victory. Thank you very much for your support.