On Wednesday, in the second leg of their Champions League semi-final (Paris Saint-Germain won the first leg 5-4), Paris Saint-Germain will face Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena (kick-off at 9 pm, CET). On the eve of this match, PSG midfielder Warren Zaïre-Emery (20 years old) answered several questions at a press conference.
Zaïre-Emery: “We’re going to do everything we can and give it our all to win this match and get back to the final.”
What has changed for you in three years?
What has changed, I would say, is the experience, the number of matches. The more you play, the more you grow, the more you evolve. Mentally, I’m still the same person. I always give my best, no matter where I am. I’m very proud to be with these players and this staff. We hope to do our best tomorrow.
What are your feelings about returning to this stadium?
I have several memories, some good and some not so good. My first year, we were eliminated in the quarterfinals. And then there’s the Champions League final. I’m very proud to be back in this stadium, playing a Champions League semifinal against an incredible team. We’re going to do everything we can and give it our all to win this match and get back to the final.
Zaïre-Emery: “We’re all ready and the objective is very clear.”
Did you get a breather playing less than a half Saturday?
It’s true that I’m playing a lot of games. As long as I’m playing, I’m happy. It feels good to keep playing and continue. The staff manages it. I love playing, I enjoy playing football for this team. As long as I’m playing, I’m happy. Otherwise, I’ll be available to the group to give my all.
Do you know the lineup at the last minute?
We’re all ready, we’ll know tomorrow at the team talk. We can play in several positions, a lot of them. We have to know everything; I can find myself on the wing, at full-back, or as a striker. That’s the strength of this team: always moving. We’re all ready, and the objective is very clear.
Zaïre-Emery: “In the first leg, we played well defensively and conceded four goals.”
You’ll probably be facing Diaz? What makes him dangerous?
When you have a player who can do everything, like Bayern’s attackers, it’s always difficult to defend. In the first leg, we played well defensively and conceded four goals. When the attackers are at that level, there’s no room for error. We’ll be ready. Against Diaz, I’ll do my best. I’ll have the support of my teammates, as always.
Emotionally, have you come down from the first leg?
It was an incredible match. We play football for matches like these. What we showed was one of the best Champions League matches ever. There was intensity, commitment, goals… it was exceptional. We expect the same thing, or even more. We’re ready, we have a clear objective, and we’re going to try to reach the final.
Are you ready for the same intensity? What are the keys to qualification?
We’re going to try to impose our style of play, press them like we do in every match, play in their half, win the ball back high up the pitch, and create chances. That’s the best thing to do. This team is built to attack and have possession, and we’re going to try to do that tomorrow.
Zaïre-Emery: “It’s the best way to score and not concede.”
How do you handle pressure that seems to slide off you?
I always try to be the same person, to prepare the same way, without putting pressure on myself. At one point, I did put pressure on myself, and it wasn’t as good. I’m trying to rediscover that carefree attitude, play without pressure, and always maintain the same intensity.
Is strong defensive work from the forwards the future of football?
I think that against the best teams, you need 11 players all working together, putting in the effort. And as Ousmane said, if we don’t defend, the coach will bench us (smiles). It’s the best thing to do, to be united. In attack too, we all need to be together. We know what we have to do. It’s the best way to score and not concede.
Zaire-Emery: “It will be up to us to set the pace, to slow the game down.”
Can we really have a similar match, or even better?
I don’t think it would be crazy, but that’s what will happen. It will be with the same intensity, or even more. It will be up to us to set the pace, to slow the game down. At this stage of the season, if we play too fast, things can go very quickly in either direction. We’re going to try to impose our high-pressing style and keep possession to create chances.
How do we concede fewer goals?
I think we’ll have to do the same thing as in the first leg. There are very high-level attackers on both sides. We defended well, but we conceded four goals. We’ll have to do even better. We want to defend as high up the pitch as possible in their half and prevent their counter-attacks. They have very fast players who can do everything. We’ll need to double-team and triple-team the ball, work together, and be generous in our efforts. We want to have the ball to create chances.
