Thomas Tuchel on the bench during Nantes-PSG, October 31, 2020. -

David Vincent / AP / SIPA

  • PSG travels to Leipzig on Wednesday for the 3rd day of the Champions League. 

  • The list of absentees is very long: Neymar, Mbappé, Icardi, Verratti, Draxler, Bernat ...

  • Thomas Tuchel explained at a press conference on Tuesday that his team might have to play more collectively than usual to get by. 

Thomas Tuchel has been in the habit, since the start of the season, of juggling absentees to prepare for PSG matches.

But there, it's a real challenge that awaits the German coach.

Neymar, Mauro Icardi, Marco Verratti, Julian Draxler and Juan Bernat are still injured, Leandro Paredes is there but with a small quarter of an hour of autonomy in his legs… And this Tuesday morning, we learned that Kylian Mbappé would also be missing On call.

You will soon have to take a ticket to be able to enter the PSG infirmary.

“There's a lot of key players missing, that's obvious.

We can not be happy with that but we are not sad either, reacted Tuchel in a press conference.

We are a group.

We cannot think too much about the absent.

We understand the idea, but the double T will still have to think about it a little.

Or rather, he'll have to think about how to play without them.

🎙️💬 @TTuchelofficial: "@KMbappe's injury is in a risk zone. He can't play tomorrow, we have to take no risk. We have to find solutions without him."

#PSGlive

- Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_inside) November 3, 2020

The German began to sketch some tracks in front of the press.

"We will try to make a little more team effort, perhaps, to have even more a good collective mentality," he explained.

It's up to us to show that we are capable of fighting together.

In other words, without the usual soloists, we will have to fall back on coal.

Which is rather good when you appear on the pitch with a Marquinhos-Gueye-Herrera midfielder.

“If there is a lack of players capable of getting out of the pressure with their individual quality, of finding solutions in small spaces, we will have to do otherwise, play more directly perhaps,” imagines Tuchel.

There will remain Angel Di Maria, who will be responsible for animating the game with Pablo Sarabia, but the German does not want to ask him too much.

“He was suspended for four games [in Ligue 1] so he lacks a bit of rhythm when he needs to play a lot, he recalled.

I don't want to put all the pressure on his shoulders.

"

A crucial double confrontation

The Argentinian will have to scramble, anyway.

Because PSG must absolutely bring something back from this trip after its initial defeat against Manchester United.

The English beat up Leipzig last week (5-0), so the fate of the Parisians in this pool will depend heavily on the upcoming double confrontation with the German club.

Tuchel recognizes it:

“We have this impression that it will be decisive after what happened during the first two days, it's true.

It can be played between Leipzig and us.

We know the situation, the importance of these two games.

It's a bit like a round of 16.

"

Great absent or not, the PSG thus arrives in Germany to win.

A draw wouldn't be such a bad deal given the context, but Tilo Kehrer doesn't want to hear about it.

“We don't come here thinking we can be satisfied.

Our goal is to win this match, to "win" this group, assured the German defender, at the microphone a few minutes before his coach.

This is our job.

Yes, we have high quality players who are injured, but we still have a lot of players with experience and personality.

We have confidence.

"

Sport

PSG: "I play sports, not politics", Kimpembe responds to the Nurmagomedov controversy

Sport

PSG: Carlo Ancelotti intends to recover Moïse Kean at Everton next season

  • PSG

  • Thomas tuchel

  • Neymar

  • Soccer

  • Sport

  • Kylian Mbappé

  • Champions League