Thiago Silva: 'We're impatient'

Thiago, what did you think about the opening Champions League game and the 3-0 win ?
"Everyone was looking forward to the game. A lot of people were wondering how Paris would approach the game without Mbappé, Cavani and Neymar. The team stood up to the challenge. We controlled the game, even if the start was difficult. After we opened the scoring, it was a little easier, because Real had to open up a bit more. That allowed us to play on the counter-attack, which we are also very good at. I think we deserved the result. Sometimes football is like that. You play and you don't deserve to lose, but when you play well, you get closer to victory. We started well, and were right on it from the first to the last minute."

The midfielders were particularly good…
"It's difficult to talk about just one player in the team, but the midfield were very good with Gueye, Verratti and Marquinhos. Gana is really incredible, gives everything for the team, wins the ball back and then immediately goes forward. He works for the team, and enjoys doing it. Marco and Marquinhos' attitude was also incredible. We also have a lot of quality up front. We played without Neymar, Edi and Kylian, but we still scored three goals. Di Maria was also extraordinary. We have to continue like that, because there were a lot of positive things."

You now head to Istanbul to face Galatasaray. How are the squad approaching the game?
"It's very exciting. We're looking forward to it as it's a good match to play. We also know that, even if they're not on the pitch, the supporters will give their all. We'll have to keep a cool head...and our bodies warm! We'll have to keep our emotions under control and take our responsibilities. Galatasaray are a very dangerous team at home. To win there, we'll have to put in a very good performance. Being at 60 or 70 per cent won't be enough."

You'll come against a forward you know well in Radamel Falcao. What do you think of him?
"He's an unpredictable player with a lot of qualities. We'll have to watch him carefully, but not only him, there's the whole team to think about. They play very well at home with a lot of character, and they have experience, because a lot of their players have played for big teams. They are used to playing in the Champions League. So we expect a big game. We'll have to put in a top quality performance. We can't control the result of a game, but we can control the preparation for it, the attitude and the focus. We'll see at the end who deserved the win."