This Sunday, as part of the 15th day of Ligue 1 2024-2025, Paris Saint-Germain faced Olympique Lyonnais at the Parc des Princes. Lyon coach Pierre Sage spoke to DAZN after the 3-1 Parisian victory (see PSG/OL video summary). He showed a certain anger and regret, without forgetting to underline the quality of the Parisians.
Sage: “We don’t have the same defensive principles.
You’ve suffered a big defeat and each time it’s goals you concede very early on in the game, why is that?
Tonight, we’re conceding goals because we’re not guided by the same defensive principles. Our strength, playing as a team, wasn’t respected. We made two major tactical errors on the two goals we conceded, and that gave our opponents opportunities.
At the time, we were thinking that a 5-man defence might have been more appropriate, but when we see that we’re completely capable of defending with 4 men when we do it together, it’s not our organization but the way we run our team that weighed on the goals we conceded.
Sage: “We’re all aware, and I’m the first, that we were up against a very worthy opponent.
What cost your team dearly in this match?
First of all, the start of the match. The fact that we didn’t apply the things we agreed on and in which we were performing well together, I think that cost us. Nevertheless, we came back and scored by pressing. I think that even a team of this quality can be in trouble when you press them.
We had a chance to pull back to 2-2 just before half-time. In the second half, we struggled to push harder to get back into the game. We’re all aware, and I’m the first, that we were up against a very worthy opponent.
Sage “We just didn’t apply the principles.”
Do you think that the number of changes at the start of the game weighed in ?
I don’t think it had anything to do with that, because the players who were there at the start of the game were used to playing together. We just didn’t apply the principles. You have to apply them against opponents who let you apply them, but against PSG you pay for it straight away when you don’t do it.
