On Tuesday, Paris Saint-Germain won a vital Champions League match against RB Salzburg (0-3), keeping their hopes of qualification alive. Speaking to L’Equipe, Luis Fernandez, a legendary former PSG player, coach and manager, reflects on the victory and the circumstances surrounding it. The former French international even admits that he is hopeful of a great run.
Fernández: “You have to congratulate the Parisians for their good positioning”.
PSG scored as many goals in this match (3-0) as in the first five rounds of the Champions League. Do you attribute this primarily to their opponents’ weakness?
“Of course, we have to take into account our opponents, who are not at their best in the Championship (5th) and have been reduced by absences. RB Salzburg didn’t cause PSG any problems in the game. But the Parisians are to be congratulated on their good positioning. They were able to prevent the Austrians from organizing themselves by imposing good pressure and putting in the intensity needed to win.”
Fernández “The most important thing is that all the midfielders, whether they start or not, are exemplary”.
What do you think of the coach’s decision to relegate Warren Zaïre-Emery (who came on in the 73rd minute) to the bench for the first time this season in the Champions League?
“The advantage of this midfield is that you can reverse the role of each player. Leaving Vitinha and Neves a little lower down meant that Nuno Mendes could play on the left and Fabian Ruiz could play closer to the centre-forward. It’s an interesting option too. The most important thing is that all the midfielders, whether they start or not, are exemplary in their state of mind, and that’s been the case since the start of the season.
And center-forward Gonçalo Ramos scored his first goal of the season…
Since his return from injury, Luis Enrique has started him (three times out of four), and he’ll keep him if he proves effective. He broke the deadlock with a real fox goal (30th), which feels like a blow. And that’s very important for the future. If they get out of this league phase, I can see PSG being the surprise package of the competition!”
Whether it was against PSV Eindhoven or Atlético Madrid, PSG had no more difficulty in the game and yet failed to win its matches. Against RB Salzburg, away from home, it was clearly not easy for this current team to win, especially by more than a two-goal margin.
The team was solid in midfield, attack and defence from the first to the last minute. The goals they scored were the result of some fine build-up play and dominance, so obviously we have to be satisfied with this success without devaluing it by pointing out the level of their opponents.
The next big test for this team comes against Manchester City. A match at the Parc des Princes that could enable PSG to climb several places in the standings. A must-win encounter that will also tell us a lot about this team’s rise to prominence come January.
