Paris Saint-Germain and Toulouse faced off this Friday at the Parc des Princes in Matchday 28 of the 2025-2026 Ligue 1 season. The match ended in a 3-1 victory for PSG. After the match, Toulouse coach Carles Martinez Novell spoke at a press conference.
Martinez Novell: “It came down to small decisions.”
Do you think your team could have done better?
Yes. When you play in Paris, it’s very difficult. For us, it was important to have options in the final part of the match (to score). We improved as the game went on. The result is perhaps a little harsh, especially with that third goal. But that’s how it is. It’s true that we didn’t have many clear-cut chances to score. It came down to small decisions. Every detail is important here.
A complicated attacking setup with wing-backs dropping deeper down the flanks. Was that intentional?
When you play against Paris, it’s normal to accept defending. For me, in the first half, we lacked the rhythm to watch the ball before even making decisions. We were good defensively, but not offensively.
In the second half, the team improved in these situations, in the initial stages of attacking transitions. We missed three-on-three and four-on-four opportunities. That’s what we’ll need to improve in the upcoming matches.
Martinez Novell: “It’s important to control the things you can control.”
What did you say to your players before the match to try and minimize Ousmane Dembélé’s impact?
Dembélé, Doué, Kvara, all the players… (Sighs). The most important thing is the team. We need to stay together all the time, avoid one-on-one situations. But that’s football, that’s Paris. We’d worked on a lot of things and we already had the same feeling in the first leg, with Joao Neves’ three goals. Against Paris, it’s important to control the things you can control. Besides, we know Dembélé. Congratulations to him for his goals.”
As is often the case, there are regrets on the part of PSG’s opponent. This is understandable; Toulouse could undoubtedly have done better at times, both defensively and offensively. Particularly on the latter point, since there were a few opportunities to capitalize on, but ultimately they didn’t trouble Matvey Safonov (the 27-year-old goalkeeper) much. He did concede a goal after two consecutive errors, but Toulouse can’t really celebrate the defeat.
But there’s an obvious point, as Martinez Novell emphasized: Paris is also a great team that knows how to create significant problems. It’s difficult to use the ball effectively against their pressing and defensive efforts, just as it’s very difficult to maintain possession throughout the match against Parisian attacks. They possess a collective strength and extraordinary individual talent.
So, they need to make the most of their opportunities. And Toulouse were quite effective, playing to their strengths. Even if there’s always room for improvement. There’s no There’s no shame in this defeat against a Paris side in good form. We must focus on the positives and learn from the experience to improve for the future.
