Marquinhos: ‘The key matches are coming’
The Paris Saint-Germain defender speaks about the latest developments at the club, starting with Week 20 of Ligue 1, when his side faces Monaco on 12 January at 9pm at the Parc des Princes.
Marquinhos, how would you analyse the first half of the club’s season?
”We really had a very good first half of the season. We may not have started as well as we have in recent years, but we finished the first half of the season well with excellent quality football and lots of goals. That’s what everyone wants to see, our fans, our coach and us, the players.”
Are there matches that have particularly stuck with you?
”Thinking back through the memories that I have got of the first half of the season, there was the match against Real Madrid (3-0). A magnificent evening! There was also the match against Marseille, our rival (4-0). It’s always nice to beat them in that manner.”
How do you feel now at the start of the second half of the season?
”The season is long and the first half is also important. You have to be ready straight away in the league and the group stages of the Champions League is also very important. We did things well in this first half of the season. But it’s during the second half that the key matches arrive. It’s at these times that you need to be at your best. There have already been lots of teams who have had a bad first half of a season but got back into gear for the important matches, and other teams who have started well and then fallen away to follow. Over the course of a season, you need to be consistent, but it’s true that the serious matches start now.”
Starting on Sunday against Monaco…
“We know that they are a side with lots of quality. They are difficult to beat, even with the numerous changes there. They have recruited very good experienced players. That has allowed them to overcome their difficult start to the season. Now we wait to see the game plan that the coach will put in place to tackle the match in the best way possible.“