Olivier Echouafni: 'Rely on the squad'
Paris Saint-Germain Women's team coach Olivier Echouafni spoke to us about Sunday's top-of-the-table encounter at the Stade Jean Bouin with Lyon.
Coach, how are you preparing for Sunday's game with Olympique Lyonnais?
"We're going to work all week at the training centre and above all approach the match well. It's during these kinds of matches that you have to be good physically and mentally. But I'm not worried when we play big games like this, the motivation comes naturally."
It's a highly anticipated game for the fans between two Champions League teams…
"It is a Champions League-level match, but we're taking on Everest. When you look at what they have done, they've gone unbeaten for almost two years in the league. The only defeat they have suffered recently was in the Coupe de France against Paris Saint-Germain last June. Lyon score four goals a game and have conceded just one against Montpellier since the start of the season, and they qualified 14-0 against Ajax. We're going to do everything to be ready for Sunday."
Are you going to highlight the Coupe de France win to prepare for this game?
"We can pick out that match, even if there have been changes in the squads since, especially on our side. We have seen six over-30 players leave and as many Under-25s arrive. That shows there is potential, but they also have to develop."
How do you deal with the players who were on international duty last week?
"It's not ideal, that's for sure. For example, our goalkeeper, Cristiane Endler, was in Australia with Chile. If there was a week for her not to go far, it was this one. We have to adapt, the fixture list is like that, we have to just prepare well."
What strategy do you want to put in place against Lyon?
"It'll be a special environment, a great stadium with a lot of fans. We're going to have to prepare the event, and prepare ourselves well in training. In terms of how we set up to play a team like Lyon, we also have to give ourselves the means to cause them problems. We'll have to be patient, but also come forward to be able to put them in a difficult situation. If we want to get a result against that team, it'll have to come from the whole group."