The Paris Saint-Germain manager answered questions from the media in the traditional pre-match press conference ahead of the Coupe de France last-32 tie against US Pays de Cassel.
ON THE QATAR TOUR
"Spending three days together has given us some squad unity again. We had a solid game despite finishing it with ten men, but we need a lot of training sessions to get our level and our form back. We've got everyone back fit, so we can no longer hide behind certain players being absent. There are things for us to put right. The game against Riyadh was a good, high-standard one against world-class players. It was a very good practice session."
ON THE OPPONENTS
"Playing against amateur clubs is what the Coupe de France is all about. Every year, there are huge upsets, so we'll need to be focused. We'll be playing in a full stadium that didn't bring us much luck last time out. We'll go there with the best possible team, and we want to go through and to raise our game."
ON THE COUPE DE FRANCE
"There'll be a lot of people supporting Pays de Cassel, but that's the Coupe de France. This is a historic occasion for them. They'll be at Bollaert, and it'll be important for them to have that support. We're preparing for this big game as we would for any other."
ON NUNO MENDES
"We know how important he is. He's been out of action for a long time with a World Cup–related injury, and we've been careful with him, as it was a serious muscle injury. Juan Bernat was the only other player in his position, and we've had to be careful with him, too. They're two different players, and in the style of play that we're aiming to have, we're looking for verticality. Nuno, in particular, is a player of that style."
ON THE TEAM'S STYLE OF PLAY
"In recent games, we haven't been able to press our opponents high up the pitch, which is something that we want to do, and we're working on precisely that with the players. Next week, after the Coupe de France, we'll have a lot of sessions centred around winning the ball. We need to be better both when we win the ball and when we lose it, as well as being better when our opponents move the ball up the pitch."
ON THE TRANSFER WINDOW
"Before it opened, I'd said that there would only be players coming in if there were players leaving. We've all been having discussions with each other at the club to see whether we can get an extra attacking player since [Pablo] Sarabia left. As for any others, we don't know yet. We're extremely focused on what we need to put right, and both the sporting director and the president are working on transfers."
ON PRESNEL KIMPEMBE
"We're hoping to get him back in eight to ten days. He's working well and working hard. We know how good he is, how hard he works and how influential he is on the pitch. We'll wait for him to make his return to the pitch and then see how his form is, but we're hoping to get him back soon."