Olivier Echouafni: 'Proud to continue'

The Paris coach, who is delighted to have extended his contract alongside the rest of his coaching staff, with Paris Saint-Germain, discusses his side's return to training and the challenges that await the Women's team.

Olivier, how are you feeling after getting back together with the squad?
"It's an immense pleasure to be back with my players, we last saw each other on 12 March, on the eve of the clash against Lyon... We are back together three months later, with the league terminated. My first feeling is a real sense of joy of being back with an in-form and healthy squad."

What awaits your players in the coming days?
"We are going to monitor how each player is feeling physically. We will evaluate the shape they are in through various tests, and from that point, we will be able to focus on the pre-season ahead of us." 

What kind of pre-season can we expect?
"This pre-season will be both very long, and very short. Especially because the D1 is starting in September, but we have the Coupe de France and the Women's Champions League from last season to play in and finish. These are two very nice bonuses, two very nice objectives. We will need to prepare well as a team and on an individual basis so that the players are ready for these matches."

You also extended your contract with the club at the start of the week...
"It's fantastic to have extended the adventure with the coaching staff. There was a lot of frustration at the end of last season, as a club and a coaching staff, we wanted to start again with a new season. We are very proud to be able to continue the work we have accomplished to date, and with the challenges ahead of us, we can't wait to get started."