Colin Dagba: 'We gave our all on the pitch'

Colin, HOW ARE YOU DOING?

"It was a little difficult at the start of the season for me. I wasn't playing much, then I had COVID, and a hamstring injury, so it was tough. But I felt confident after the new coach came in and when I came back into the squad, I was good, I got some playing time. And with the two Champions League games I've played, things are now going well."

HoW DID YOU FEEL WHEN THE NEW COACH CAME IN?

"I felt right from the start that he had faith in me. I like the sessions a lot, there are a lot of games with lot of space in the sessions, and a little more running. And even if I don't play, it's important to still do the job on the pitch. I have a very good relationship with him, I feel his trust. In training, the full-backs work a lot, we run a lot too. And it's important, because modern full-backs have to work defensively and offensively. But the most important thing is to defend, and though I created some chances against Bayern, I contributed  a lot more defensively."

YOU CAME FROM NORTHERN FRANCE, BUT YOU'RE CONSIDERED A HOMEGROWN 'TITI'. hOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THAT?

"I think everyone considers me a 'titi', and I do too! I came into the U19 side, so I was at the youth academy. I'm from the north, because my parents moved there for work, but all my family is in Paris, I've always had a connection to the city, to this stadium where my family went. I've always loved the city of Paris and when I signed for the club, it was the best day of my life. And when you play matches like that against Bayern, I'm very very proud to represent the youth academy at such a level. I hope they're also proud of me. For the youngsters coming through, I try to give them advice, on and off the pitch, when to go to the gym...Presnel is a little like their grandpa, and I'm a bit younger, I'm their dad." [laughs]

WHAT WAS THE GAME AGAINST BAYERN LIKE?

"Before the match, I was very excited to be playing that sort of game, because when you watch the TV as a kid, you want to play that sort of game. What I noticed before the match, when we left the hotel, was all the supporters who were wearing the shirt and I said to myself, 'Tonight, we're going to do it for them.' We had to do it to make them proud, because they're there for us, they might have left work early to come and encourage us. We gave our all on the pitch. I think everyone gave everything. You could see it, even Kylian when he made that big run, 'Ney' who tracked back, Angel Di Maria who came to help me. All the forwards defended for us. We gave our all on the pitch. You could see that and we did it for the city, for the fans."

YOU NOW HAVE TO KEEP THAT MOMENTUM WITH SAINT-ETIENNE COMING ON SUNDAY…

"I think we have to use the Bayern match as a basis on which we produce that sort of performance in Ligue 1 and the Coupe de France. We have to keep that level of focus, that level of determination, give everything to try and win as much as possible and get the title. I think that matches like that should be our benchmark. We're aware that we can't afford any slip-ups between now and the end of the season. Our destiny is in our hands and we're going to go out to get as many wins as possible."

Paris are currently second in a very competitive league. what do you think of ligue 1?

"It's sure that it's a little trickier to be chasing. But this year, the standard is very very high. Lille are a very good team. We had difficulties against Lyon and also Monaco, who aren't far away either. The level is getting better and better. There's a very very good standard this year."