Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Joao Neves, 20, spoke in the mixed zone after Portugal’s Nations League victory over Spain (2-2, 5 TAB to 3). He talks about the difficulty of combining club and country, while looking ahead to the Club World Cup, a new challenge for PSG and its international players. He wants to continue enjoying himself.
Neves “We don’t really know what to expect”.
“It’s unbelievable, but we’re professional enough to go from one competition to another almost overnight, and from club to selection and vice versa.
To be honest, we’re not quite sure what to expect at the Club World Cup, with a different continent, very different weather conditions from recent weeks, not to mention the time difference.
Neves “The most important thing is to continue to enjoy ourselves together”.
We’ll have to manage as best we can. We can’t think too much about the calendar. The most important thing is to continue to enjoy ourselves as much as possible and to keep our minds fresh, even if it’s not always easy.
Paris Saint-Germain head into the Club World Cup with the serenity of a club that has already proved its worth on the domestic and European stage. After dominating Ligue 1 and confirming their supremacy in domestic competitions, PSG have forged a reputation as one of the giants of French soccer.
This season, marked by impressive consistency and a close-knit team, has enabled the club to achieve its main objectives: dominating the league, winning the cup and competing with the best in Europe.
Against this backdrop, the Club World Cup is more like the icing on the cake, a further challenge to add to an already impressive list of achievements. For the Parisians, this international competition is above all an opportunity to test themselves against opponents from other continents, without the pressure.
The essential point has already been made: PSG are now playing for pleasure, experience and the chance to add a prestigious line to their history, but without the urgency or obsession of winning at all costs.
