On Saturday November 30, Paris Saint-Germain returned to Ligue 1 when they took on FC Nantes at the Parc des Princes. And although the early opening goal had raised hopes of an emphatic scoreline, it was not to be. The Parisians were held to a 1-1 draw (see video summary), confirming their attacking woes of recent weeks. Antoine Kombouaré, coach of Les Canaris, took time out after the match to answer DAZN‘s questions:
Kombouaré: “We know we’ve got a very good PSG team, who dominated everything”.
Was it the perfect move? Are you frustrated by that first goal at the start of the game?
It’s not frustration, I was really scared. We did better than against Le Havre, when we scored after 2 minutes 30. It’s not the best of scenarios. I guess the good Lord is testing us.
Is this the scenario you’d imagined?
Yes, yes, it’s interesting, as much as we cracked against Le Havre, that first goal really hurt us. But we were able to keep our heads above water, we were able to resist, we were able to hold on.
Then that little goal gave us hope. In the end, we’re happy, even if we know we’re up against a very good PSG team, who dominated the whole game.
All week we’d been working on the frustration of never having the ball, of running, defending, defending, defending. I have to say that it paid off and this is a small point of revolt. But above all, I hope it’s a point of hope.
It’s still a special match, isn’t it a bonus point?
It’s a special match. It’s against PSG, who are crushing Ligue 1. We’d noticed that the only two games where they’d dropped points against Nice and Amiens were just after a Champions League match.
That gave us hope, but we knew we were going to suffer, but we clung on to that. I think it’s a point that will give us confidence. For us, it’s the best way of preparing for the home game. To validate this point, we need to win at all costs against Rennes.
“We had a lot of situations where we were in trouble”.
Could your players have done with a little something extra?
I’m very clear, we had a lot of situations where we were in trouble. Our goalkeeper made some good saves and he was successful. There were quite a few situations where there were disputes, and the referee could have whistled for fouls. There were some borderline situations.
I’m not frustrated, I’m very, very happy, because when you score a goal straight away against PSG, who score an average of 3 goals a game, we’re not showing off. We need to work in the same way for the next few games. At last, I’m back to a fighting team.
Did you choose your goalkeeper because of his ability to keep the ball on the flanks?
Above all, he’s a keeper who looks good and exudes joie de vivre. He’s a great kid, a great lad, he’s got a lot of experience. I didn’t give him a starting gift with FC Nantes at the Parc des Princes when we were in the play-offs and in trouble, but I had confidence in him.
He’s got a little star above his head, so I had to give it a go. What I like about him is that he exudes serenity and confidence. I’m not punishing Alban, but it’s true that things were complicated for him at the time. This draw is a point of hope.
