Layvin Kurzawa: "I work hard"
Having put in remarked upon performances in recent weeks, Layvin Kurzawa spoke about his form and the news from the capital club.
Layvin, how are you physically? You seem to be at your best...
"I feel very good, I work hard in order to be fully fit. I feel confident and that's a determining factor when you play at this level, and it allows me to put in good performances and to put a run of matches together."
You recently broke through the 100 match barrier in Ligue 1 with Paris. What does that mean to you?
"I'm proud to have reached that good number. I think that I should have played a bit more, but it's proof of my consistency and my attachment to this shirt. I hope to be able to continue to play matches and reach other important milestones in the future."
How is it playing without supporters?
"It's different but we have to deal with it. It's been like that since last summer, and we hope that the fans will return. It means a lot to us when they support us, notably at the airport for certain away games. We're missing them a lot at the stadium, and feeling their support is important to us."
A word on the Champions League, a competition you like playing in...
"It's the most beautiful club competition. We need to commit to it 1000%, and it's a competition I want to play in every season. We want to play all the matches, we want to win them all, and we give everything every time. I'm also proud of being the only defender to have scored a hat-trick in the competition (during the 5-0 victory against Anderlecht at the Parc des Princes, October 31 2017). That's a record that pleases me ! »
What's your view of the win over Barcelona?
"Before the match, I could tell that all the players were extremely motivated and focused. There was a strong collective desire to do something good, to get a result. We played superbly, and put in a complete performance. That was the first half there, and we won it, and now we've got the second half to play at the Parc. We need to back it up."
A nice little stat: your last 5 assists have been for Kylian Mbappé...
"I hadn't realised that! We have a real understanding both on and off the field. That's a really nice stat and it proves that our understanding works on the pitch. Kylian was incredible in Barcelona, and I felt that even more playing on his side of the pitch. Scoring three goals there, it was just magnificent."