Paris (AFP)

A white year after three Leagues champions in a row, "it was a bit inevitable" for Real Madrid, told in an interview with AFP the French defender Raphael Varane, who ensures "come back as new" before facing Paris SG Wednesday, the first European shock of the season.

"It will be necessary to make a complete match" in the Parc des Princes, affirms the vice-captain of the Bleus, in margin of the presentation to the press of the documentary "Varane: Fate of Champion", retracing the course of the world champion 2018 (*) .

Q: A year and a half after having played (and eliminated) PSG in the last 16 of the Champions League, do you expect a vengeful opponent?

A: "We expect a very motivated opponent, it's a very good team, with a very complete squad with top players, it will be a very high level match and I hope we can get our first points of the Champions League season. "

Q: What are you most afraid of in this Parisian team despite the absence of its stars Neymar and Kylian Mbappé? Mauro Icardi, recruited this summer?

A: "It's all together, I think they have weapons everywhere, quality players in every line, you have to make a full match to win."

Q: How do you analyze the Real Madrid season, a break after four titles in five years in the Champions League?

A: "In hindsight, I think it was a bit inevitable: when you live seasons with so many matches, so much intensity, so much pressure, so many years in a row, it draws a lot of energy, that whether it's physical or mental, psychological, it's a huge effort, at one point we're human beings and there's a backlash, it was hard to escape, but we did not let go, we We have been decent during this season, we have fought hard to try to give the best of ourselves, it did not smile but we fought to try to stay on top. "

Q: You personally experienced a last season more difficult than the previous ones, to the point of cutting for a month this summer. Was it necessary?

A: "This summer, I think I needed to do a + reboot + Disconnect a bit of football, unpack, come back like new, that's what I needed to get going again. The way, after a season like this, is to evacuate, to think about nothing and to leave football aside for a few weeks, to come back more motivated than ever. "

Q: What is the presence of Zinedine Zidane, returned last spring, can change in the locker room for upcoming European games?

A: "He is very listened to because he has an experience as a player, because his career as a coach is exceptional.It is said that inevitably, he has some ingredients to get the victory each time. So we listen to him and he has more personal advice on our career management, and that too, we listen to him because he has the necessary perspective. "

Q: You are under the orders of another world champion in selection. What brings Didier Deschamps closer to Zidane, and what opposes them?

A: "They are two great coaches, who have been two great players, and they both have a huge track record, and their high-level approach is something I try to inspire. For example, everyone gives me his touch at the tactical level, the technical level on what I can do in the field, advice from them, we listen.

Q: Do you already think of the Euro-2020, four years after missing the Euro-2016 in France because of an injury?

A: "For the moment, I do not want to think about it, I'm concentrating on my season, qualifying, and if I'm there, I'll do my best to win the trophy I miss. -2016, it will always be a scar for me The Euro at home, I will never live again It was a unique opportunity, at a time in my career where it was really my goal. was a huge disappointment, but it allowed me to question myself and go forward in my career. "

Interview by Antoine MAIGNAN and Viken KANTARCI.

(*) "Varane: Fate of Champion", documentary in three episodes directed by Théo Schuster. Released on September 23 on the Amazon Prime Video platform.

© 2019 AFP