Nicolas Anelka, former Paris Saint-Germain player, spoke to Le Parisien about the Champions League Round of 8 second leg between Liverpool at Anfield and the Parisian club. He spoke of the clear “hold-up” of the first leg, before reminding us that playing at Liverpool’s stadium is no easy task. That said, for him, PSG have nothing to lose.
Anelka “They know they didn’t deserve to win”.
“A hold-up in the first leg?
Yes. That’s not a strong word. Everyone saw it. And on the faces of the English, it was clear that they were relieved. They know they didn’t deserve to win. After that, even though Liverpool were on the back foot, they didn’t concede a goal. And that’s their merit. The key to winning the Champions League is not conceding too many goals.
Anelka: “When you play at Anfield, everything is different”.
Will the atmosphere at Anfield influence the return leg?
When you play at Anfield, everything is different. It’s one of the best stadiums in the world for that. The atmosphere will be hot. What happens there is legendary. You feel the weight of history. (…) You have to live it to know it. I’ve been lucky enough to be in this stadium as a local player and as an opponent.
Anelka “There’s no reason to think PSG can be inhibited”
Can Parisians be inhibited ?
Paris has nothing left to lose. There’s no reason to think that PSG can be inhibited. On the contrary, the performance at Le Parc should give them confidence. PSG know they have what it takes. They didn’t have that certainty before the first leg.
PSG certainly have nothing to lose. We’re going to have to go to England to win, and that’s all there is to it. A defeat would inevitably be a disappointment, but in view of the first leg, a good second leg would be a pill to swallow in the event of elimination.
Anfield is a big stadium with a lot of history, but Paris knows it’s there. Liverpool have often lost at their home stadium in the European Cup in recent years, and the first leg should give the Parisians confidence.
It won’t be an easy match, but it’s an exciting one where defensive and attacking efficiency will make all the difference. We’ll need to “switch off” the stadium fairly quickly and continue to show that PSG is a great team if we are to keep the English side, who have been very good since the start of the season, in doubt right to the end.
C’est un match à enjeu, dans lequel le PSG a tout à y gagner. Il deviendrait alors l’un des favoris de la compétition et avec ce que l’on voit sur le terrain, cela peut permettre une grande fin de saison.
