From our special correspondent in Bruges,
The question had snatched a smile from Mauricio Pochettino on Tuesday at a press conference. Which is already a small event in itself. A colleague had asked him if with all these talents at his disposal, he did not end up in the most difficult situation he had experienced in his coaching career. ” No, it’s the opposite. All coaches want as many options as possible “, replied the Argentinian, assuring that these choices would be only sporting, and not” political “. Anyway, this first match of the Champions League of PSG has highlighted the projects that await the technician in the coming weeks.
For this introduction, he let himself be tempted by the magical trio in front, and no one will blame him. We all wanted to see, the Belgians included, from what we could understand. In the end, we didn’t see much, except that Neymar had left Mbappé on the side a bit to play better with his (not so) new best friend. The three men, before the Frenchman’s exit due to an injury in the 50th, did not combine much (19 passes between them according to the count of The team) and above all, failed to bring out the little spark that we were entitled to hope for.
“As I said before, we have great players, but we need balance. To find an offensive organization that brings creativity, ”explains Pochettino. The animation was not better in the second half with Icardi, on the contrary. The many offside of the Argentinian testify to a construction that is still in its infancy.
Improving our offensive combinations will not only come through training. It will also be necessary to progress in competition. We need to understand each other, ”adds the coach.
The Argentinian is no more worried than that. He believes that time will have its effect, and he is certainly not wrong. His main concern about this trio is rather in the defensive withdrawal. If the attackers do not make the effort, or little, as was the case in Brugge, this leaves gaping holes for the opponent to rush, whether on the sides or in the axis. The visual impression was quite clear, but Pochettino refutes this finding. “I don’t think that’s the problem. We have to be stronger in other areas of the game, ”he points out instead.
The state of mind, the real sinews of war
He is undoubtedly targeting the mistakes of Wijnaldum and Paredes, overwhelmed in the impact and replaced at the break, and the too many duels lost by Diallo and Hakimi on the sides. “We have a very offensive team and, sometimes, when you’re an offensive team, you leave some space. This is the philosophy of our team, ”explains Herrera, one of the few to survive in the battle. However, on Wednesday, the individual breaches added to a porous team block. The former Tottenham coach and his staff have some nice little video sessions in the offing.
Another question that will quickly arise, perhaps this weekend if Mbappé’s injury is mild, is the place given to Di Maria. Can PSG play sustainably with four in front when they have shown that they can take the tide against the first Belgian champion to come, where will it be necessary to sacrifice one each time? If option 1 is chosen, it will really be necessary that the two eccentricities do not hesitate to defend. But whether it’s one or the other, in fact, it’s all about the state of mind. The sinews of war, always. “We’re going to make a very strong team,” says Herrera. The plans are on the table, there’s more to it.