Paulo César, former defender and coach of Paris Saint-Germain’s U19 women’s team, has been officially appointed as first-team coach, with a contract running until 2027, although he was in charge at the end of last season following the sacking of Fabrice Abriel. Following the announcement, the Brazilian spoke to Le Parisien newspaper.
Paulo César “to remain in the continuity of the work done over the last five years in the club’s training.”
“The mercato?
We’re going to start right away. We’re going to look at the profiles studied by the sports management. I have a clear understanding of the under-19s. We’ll look at all that and build the squad.
My aim is to continue the work I’ve been doing for the past five years in the club’s training department. After all, I’ve seen 15 or 16 players turn professional. So I think the continuity of that work needs to be maintained.
I’m going to keep a close eye on the training and maintain my proximity to the first team. I’m going to do everything I can with the group to be competitive. I can reassure the fans that the group I’ll have in my hands will be very competitive.
Paulo César “The main thing is to recruit top players.
Is the attack a work in progress?
It’s not a project (smiles). The main thing is to recruit top-level players and meet PSG’s expectations.
Is the human aspect the basis of coaching?
Getting on well with the players is always an added bonus. I rely a lot on human relationships. I’m working to win a French Championship. The more we want to move forward together, the further we’ll go. I’m really proud to be appointed PSG coach.
Paulo César “I’m going to draw inspiration from it. I don’t want to copy because that’s impossible.”
Luis Enrique’s team, a model?
Today, we have the best men’s team in the world. I’m going to take inspiration from them. I don’t want to copy, because that’s impossible”, comments relayed by Paris_sginfos.
Quite logically, PSG’s women’s coach is ambitious. The club can’t be satisfied with title-winning seasons. What’s more, last season’s Champions League campaign ended in the preliminary round. We need to do better. In terms of content, too, although the matches were often mixed.
It’s a “fall” that requires a rebound, whereas Paris seemed for a while to be on a roll. Paulo César’s mission is to get the team back on track. It started well at the end of the season, and he seems to have established a good bond with the players. And that’s positive.
We need to confirm this and build for the future. We can’t expect everything to be perfect right away. But we’re hoping for good things, including a mercato to get the project back on track. Olga Carmona was a great signing, but that’s not enough.
Especially as there have been several departures of late, notably in attack, including Marie-Antoinette Katoto (to OL Lyonnes, as is all too often the case). All the same, it remains an interesting base. All that remains is to use it well, prepare well and bring in the right reinforcements.
