Paris (AFP)

After his first very big successful meeting in Barcelona (4-1), Mauricio Pochettino continues the remodeling of "his" Paris Saint-Germain and delivers his work on the job against Monaco, Sunday for the 26th day of Ligue 1.

The Argentinian coach did not stay long in the bubbles of cava, the Catalan champagne.

From the first question of the press conference in the belly of Camp Nou, he recalled that there was "an important match on Sunday".

Admittedly, "Poche" has beaten Marseille twice since its arrival at the beginning of January, in the Champions Trophy (2-1) then in L1 (2-0), but the current weaknesses of OM do not give the same cachet as the resounding success at Barça, with the hat-trick of Kylian Mbappé.

Pochettino knew how to build a team capable of this performance without Neymar or Angel Di Maria.

In 45 days of "work", a word he often repeats, he has already made good progress in his project.

"Pochettino is doing a good job, but be careful not to bring up the players or technicians too quickly, nor to bring them down too quickly afterwards when things are not so well", explains to AFP Dominique Bathenay, former PSG midfielder (1978- 1985).

"The players have regained confidence, a collective strength emerges from the team, Pochettino is managing his team well for the moment," greeted the former Parisian captain.

Bathenay also notes that the Argentine coach "does not get too excited" after the great victory in the knockout stages of the Champions League.

- Better physically -

Indeed, Murphy's man does not get carried away.

He recalled that Barça had a 2-0 ball (by Dembélé) and that in "football, the details can make you fall".

But he seems to transmit this calm to his players.

"Football is a context of emotion" and he wants to "transmit the right emotions" to his group.

Likewise, he spoke of his desire to channel the "obsession" with victory in the Champions League into "passion", whether the obsession is "positive".

The new staff has also perked up the team on a physical level.

"The intensity of training has clearly increased a lot compared to what we did before" with Thomas Tuchel, noted Leandro Paredes before the match against Montpellier.

"It's linked to Pochettino's playing philosophy," continued the Argentinian midfielder, very good since the arrival of his compatriot.

"There is a new staff, it is never easy to integrate during the season, but the quality of the group is good and we quickly assimilate the ideas of the new coach", assured Paredes.

Bathenay also noted a better physically, but recalls that "last season was upset, the Champions League ended in August, they needed to recover. They each had their little slack" .

- The freedom of Verratti -

If he saw, like everyone and Gerard Piqué, that Mbappé had regained all his explosiveness, the former international also notes "a better physical especially in a player like Marquinhos, who is even better".

If all is not perfect, evidenced by the defeat in Lorient (3-2), a club fighting for maintenance, the Pochettino transplant seems to be taking well.

Not dogmatic, the Argentinian has aligned several modules, but his 4-3-3 looks great, where he leaves freedom to Marco Verratti, his main innovation.

"Marco has a good reading of the game, each time he allows to have this offensive possession when the team has the ball, and above all he allows to leave the ball in good conditions and to launch the attacks as well as possible", note Pochettino.

Still without "Ney" or Di Maria, he will be able to continue to test the progress of his ideas against Monaco, member of the leading quartet and only team with Montpellier, in 2012, at the beginning of the Qatari era, to have deprived him of the title of champion of France, in 2017.

Kylian Mbappé was then in the Prince's camp.

ASM no longer has the level of that team, but with 26 points taken out of 30 possible, it is the most fit team in France.

It's not Barça, but it's still a great challenge for Pochettino.

© 2021 AFP