Tuchel: 'Ready to attack the championship'

THE SQUAD 
It's very simple: Ander Herrera is the only player that didn't train today because he is unfortunately injured for the next few weeks. Neymar Jr and Presnel Kimpembe trained with the rest of the team, but Neymar Jr didn't finish the session, so he won't take part in tomorrow's match. For Presnel, he has worked very hard on his rehabilitation, but we don't want to rush things, we need to be patient and I don't think he will be in the squad to take on Nîmes.

PRE-SEASON TRAINING
I am satisfied with the last few weeks. This summer, preseason was very different to last year because many of the squad were with us from the first day. This is my second season at the club, so obviously it's easier to set things up. The squad knows what I want and I also know in what positions the players feel the most comfortable. During preseason, you could see how the team progressed from match to match, from Inter to Sydney and then Rennes. The challenge now is to keep progressing, to keep improving. We have trained well this week, with a lot of quality and the spirit has been good. We are ready to attack the championship tomorrow.

ALPHONSE AREOLA
I have confidence in Alphonse and he has a great opportunity now to show all his qualities, take his responsabilities. I am also very happy with Marcin Bulka, who is training very well and will be on the bench tomorrow.

CAVANI - MBAPPÉ 
Obviously they can play together and play well. We have often used two attackers. But football is a very complex sport and its not just about attacking. You also have to think about balance and defence. Cavani and Mbappé will play together tomorrow against Nîmes, but with their profiles, there are many possibilities. Kylian can also play on the wing, so we have to find the best solution for the team, the right balance between attack and defence.

HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH KYLIAN MBAPPÉ
We have a very good relationship. He's a star, but above all, he's my player. I try and find the best solutions to get the best out of him, that he scores goals and finds space. He is ready to take the responsability, he's ready, he is mature and he likes that. Kylian is a key player for us, and he can deal with that situation. I think he is perfectly comfortable. He trains and plays with great intensity.

PABLO SARABIA
He is very talented with set pieces, but we Angel Di Maria! I am very happy that Pablo is with us, he shows every day how professional he is, how much we can count on him. He makes a lot of runs, high intensity, with and without the ball, lots of counter pressing. That's what I want from him. 

NEW MANAGEMENT?
There are changes each season and that's normal. With my coaching staf, we are always looking for solutions, creative answers, because we are always looking for new things and to offer new ideas to the squad. We want to keep progresing and hit the ground running in Ligue 1 from tomorrow. We want to play well tomorrow because we know we can. I want the team to play with more intensity compared to the start of last season, especially in terms of our counter-pressing. We want to win our first game of the season, but we also have ti remain humble. I repeat: We are ready.