Thomas Tuchel : 'We need to work together'
On the eve of Matchday 3 of the UEFA Champions League group stage match against Leipzig on Wednesday 4 November at 21 :00 CET at the RB Arena, the Paris Saint-Germain manager faced the media. Here’s what Thomas had to say.
TEAM SPIRIT
"A lot of important players are missing, that's for sure. We're disappointed about that, but you can't afford to be downhearted going into a game like this. We're going to pull together as a team and make a real game of it. We need to improve together in these kinds of situations. In football, over 90 minutes, anything's possible. Everyone wants to play. The key to this game? There isn't just one key element to the game, there are eleven of them. When you take a look at the list of players who are missing, and look at the players here with us, it's no secret who’s going to start. We've got confidence in them, we'll push them to be at their best. It's up to us to show that we need to work together as a team."
LEIPZIG
"It's a decisive encounter, because it's like a Round of 16 game, with home and away legs. If we win the tie it could be a game changer. If we have difficult moments we'll embrace them. That could be the key to winning the game, but we hope to be strong when we have the ball as well. The best thing to do for us is to focus on ourselves. We'll have eleven players on the pitch who are used to playing together, and they will be up for it. Of course, you can't make predictions. It's a football match and it lasts 90 minutes. The challenge is whether we're able to show our quality. But everyone who plays will deserve to be there."
REVENGE
"It's completely different to the semi-final. When you look at our starting line-up, you can't expect the same type of game. We showed all of our quality and experience in Portugal. We played very well and controlled the game. On Wednesday it'll be a different match. I think that Leipzig will defend higher up the pitch because they will be playing at home, and under different circumstances. They will play with more freedom and we need to be ready for that. I'm expecting to come up against a very strong side, who play a direct and rapid style of football in our half of the pitch. But if we can't control the tempo of the game we have other options available."