Paris Saint-Germain and Auxerre faced each other this Saturday at the Parc des Princes for matchday 6 of the 2025-2026 Ligue 1 season. The match ended with a 2-0 victory for Paris. After the match, Auxerre’s coach, Christophe Pélissier, spoke at the press conference.
Pélissier: “We needed to be much more ambitious and proactive in our play.”
“We’re frustrated. In preparing for the match, I asked the players to be ambitious in our play and in our pressing. We were too passive in the first half. We were recovering the ball too deep in our own half, and against a team like PSG, who have exceptional counter-pressing, it was difficult to get out of that situation and create chances.
We started to create some chances in the last 15 minutes before halftime. I told the players at halftime that we needed to be much more ambitious and proactive, because I felt we were a bit hesitant. The second half was much better than the first.
Pélissier: “When you come here, you learn.”
“The frustration comes from losing a match without conceding many clear-cut chances, but losing on a set piece. When you come here, you learn, facing teams, players, and a coach of this level, the best in the world… Everyone learns: the players, the staff, myself. We are on the right path because we are a team that wants to play whenever we can. We need to be more ambitious in our defensive approach.” (Quotes from Ici)
It’s understandable that the defeat was somewhat disappointing, especially against a PSG team that struggled to be truly dangerous in open play, even if they did create a few chances. PSG had plenty of possession, perhaps too much for the Auxerre coach’s liking. It must be said that his team was somewhat passive for a while and indeed lacked ambition.
Auxerre eventually started playing more aggressively and managed to put some pressure on the Parisians at times. However, Paris remained quite composed and used set pieces to break the deadlock. It’s tough for Auxerre, because in these situations, the difference in talent seems to matter less. Nevertheless, this wasn’t just a fluke. It’s a genuine tactical phase of the game.
This is also part of the learning process, requiring constant concentration and focus to maintain team cohesion. For Auxerre, there’s nothing particularly “catastrophic” about losing at the Parc des Princes. Although it’s never pleasant, of course. The main thing is to learn from the defeat and approach future matches better prepared.
