AJ Auxerre and Paris Saint-Germain faced off this Friday evening on the 14th day of the McDonald’s Ligue 1. It was a good result for AJA, who drew at home with the Parisian leaders. However, it was yet another lacklustre performance from the Rouge et Bleu, who failed to hit the back of the net (0-0). Auxerre coach Christophe Pélissier spoke to DAZN journalists about his players’ performance:
Christophe Pélissier: Our goalkeeper “allowed us to take a point”.
A great game from your keeper?
I said we needed a lot of self-sacrifice and risk-taking with the ball, but above all we needed a great keeper. Mission accomplished, as he put the Parisian forwards to the sword and earned us a point. It’s important for us from an accounting point of view.
Were the three points within reach?
No, I don’t think I was very happy with the first quarter of the second half. We had three or four situations where we needed to get the ball out better to make things difficult for them, but I thought Paris were very good at defensive transitions. They also prevented us from expressing ourselves offensively.
Didn’t you regret not keeping the ball a bit more?
In the first quarter and in the second half, we had to play a lot and we lost a lot of balls that hurt us. When we analyze the match, we’ll see where we need to improve, but after that, when there’s a state of mind, solidarity and respect for instructions, I can’t reproach my players for anything tonight.
“tonight, even if it’s only a point, it’s three points for us”.
What instructions does Danois have?
He can harass and eliminate to create situations and break up lines. He does this well off the dribble, but he needs to improve his passing. And that’s where his ability to break down lines with his dribbling becomes important for us. He’s just come out of training, he’s listened, he’s grown, he’s worked hard because he works so hard. He’s been rewarded for his hard work.
Do you have any regrets about the chances you had?
Yes, we can do better. I think the players gave a lot physically, mentally and in terms of concentration. Sometimes it’s not easy, you have to put yourself in their shoes, and there are times when you have to do better, that’s for sure. Above all, I’d like to underline the efforts made by the boys tonight.
Does that sound like victory ?
It’s true that all the matches here are magnificent. This is our very own cauldron. The players manage to transcend themselves and I think that tonight, even if it’s only one point, it’s three points for us.
