This Tuesday at 6.45pm (UTC+1), Paris Saint-Germain take on Brest at the Stade du Roudourou in the first leg of the Champions League 2024-2025 play-offs (return on Wednesday February 19). In a press conference, Brest coach Eric Roy spoke about the match and the Parisian opponent, with some very clear messages.
Roy “with 2 games, we’re obliged to manage it differently.”
How important is the first leg? Does it condition a lot of things?
It’s a special confrontation, because it’s over 2 matches. It’s obvious that the first leg will determine a lot of things. Our ambition will be to still be alive when we return to the Parc des Princes.
Obviously, we’re not going to manage the match like we did in the league. At 3-2 at the 80th minute, you’re still in the mood. In the league, you go for it. But with 2 games to go, we’ll have to handle it differently.
Roy “we started the Mission Impossible project 2 days ago.”
Luis Enrique pointed out that it’s difficult to play against Brest, what do you think the difference is?
If we’re a difficult team to play against, I don’t know what I can say about PSG (laughs). As far as the gap is concerned, you just have to look at the budgets, we’re not in the same world. After that, when you meet a team like that, even if you want to exist… As I said, we launched the Mission Impossible project 2 days ago. We’ve tried to contact Tom Cruise, but we haven’t heard back (laughs).
It’s going to be complicated, of course. Even more so in a double confrontation. We can beat PSG in 1 game, but in 2 it’s more difficult. Our ambition is to be a player in this match, even if we know that the gap is very big.
What impresses you most about PSG?
Their attacking ability and dazzle, their ability to manage the ball. When you’ve got Barcola, Dembélé, Doué, Lee, Kvaratskhelia, there’s no doubt that they’re potentially very high-level players. What’s more, they’re difficult to read because Luis Enrique likes to change players’ positions. It’s his ambition to make the team unreadable. We’re trying to concentrate on ourselves, even if we know we’ll have to be able to manage those flashes of brilliance and the ability to make us run, which can break us down. There are so many qualities that it would take a long time to define them all.
Roy “The only problem is that the match is Franco-French.”
How do you switch from Ligue 1 to the LDC in this match?
The fact that we’re in Guingamp is a bit different. It’s a break in the routine. What I like about my team is that we’re quick to learn how to move from one competition to another. We’re still in the top 3, so we need to be able to leave what we’ve done behind us and look ahead to what’s next. We play every game to win. It doesn’t matter what the competition is.
The only problem is that the match is Franco-French. I experienced it as a player and it didn’t excite us that much. It’s not the flavour of a trip to a new stadium, to come face to face with a different kind of soccer. But after that, it’s still a Champions League match.
Is there anything you’d like to add today compared to the last match?
There may be different players playing. Some of them are back from sick leave. We always want to learn from matches, especially when we lose. We learn from them, knowing that even if the score seems very important, we can’t forget that we had periods when we knew how to make them suffer. We’re trying to capitalize on that. Even if we know we’re going to suffer too.
Roy “We’ll need the right circumstances to compete, but in soccer anything is possible.”
Does that give you a psychological advantage over PSG, who are the favorites?
It’s a fact of life that we’re an underdog. I wouldn’t say there’s an advantage, but we’ve got nothing to lose. I want the players to make the most of the moment, to tell themselves that we have everything to gain. We’ll have to play the perfect game, and hope that PSG don’t come up short. We’ll need the right circumstances to compete, but in soccer anything is possible. We always want to be there.
Was Brest’s last victory over PSG 40 years ago?
Ah yes, indeed… It inspires me that this is a formidable challenge. It’s a team that’s accumulating records, and the players are getting into the game. It’s not a goal, but the players are talking about breaking a new record. To beat PSG at least 1 time would be a great achievement. But I’m not too attached to history or statistics. It doesn’t give you the result. I didn’t know about that statistic.
Roy “the players need to be able to read the match.”
High pressing or a different plan? Even if you can’t reveal everything.
We’re not playing as an expiatory victim, we’re playing with our will to upset this team. But then there’s the will and what happens, and the players have to be able to read the match and analyze the strong and weak moments. You have to know how to push or how to back off.
You can’t predict everything; so many things can happen. We have to be willing to play our part. As for what we’re putting in place, we’ll be showing it to the Parisians tomorrow.
Why are matches between Brest and PSG so spectacular?
Because we try to play. We could decide to stay on our goal. Some teams have results like that. But that’s not how I see it, even though it can happen because it’s PSG and it’s hard to get out, that they suffocate you. But we’ve managed to play some full games and come up with some ideas. We know that there are times when we’re capable of competing.
But a match is a long one, and even longer against PSG, because you have to chase the ball. And then you have to know how to use it once you’ve spent your energy recovering it. Now, history will be made tomorrow.
Roy “They have a collective dimension.”
Your history with PSG?
I came very close to playing for Paris, even though it almost happened when Charles Bietry took over as president. But it’s still Paris, and it’s the most eagerly-awaited match. Everyone ticks it off the calendar. There was a PSG that was in more difficulty, and now the one that is almost unbeatable over the season. There’s everything the capital represents. I said after the first match, and I wasn’t really believed, that PSG were stronger than before, that they’re an accomplished team.
But you can see it in their ability to press together, to be all-in. They have a collective dimension. This team is a challenge for everyone. Unfortunately, it often comes down to bad feelings at the end. That’s part of the job.
Do you have to deny yourself to hope to qualify?
I didn’t say that, but that there might be different players. We’re not going to deny ourselves. We’re not a team that likes to calculate, we have to play with the qualities of our squad. We can’t forget that since we’ve been together, we’ve gone from a team playing for survival to a team playing in the last 16 of the Champions League. We can’t have a negative mentality. PSG may force us to give up a little, but we’ll have our will.
