With a smile and partly in French, Mauricio Pochettino congratulated his players this Saturday evening at a press conference after the victory against AS Saint-Étienne (3-1). The Argentinian also assumes the bad start to the meeting by evoking a bad tactical message sent to his team.
Do you still have the words to describe Kylian Mbappé’s performances week after week?
Mauricio Pochettino. It is not easy. It’s amazing, wonderful. We are very happy with him, that he is with us. I’m proud of him. I’m very happy because we finish the matches very well. We played the second half the way we wanted to play. Kylian is a fantastic player. Leo, Ney were also important for us.
How is he when he seemed to hold his right thigh at the end of the first period?
Kylian is fine. He had no problem. He is suspended against Nice and will be able to work for a week. He will be ready to start in Madrid.
Why did you change your system in the second half?
The start of the match was not good. I take responsibility for it. Things weren’t clear enough to develop our game. You have to give credit to Saint-Étienne who started the match well. It’s not the players fault. We corrected things in the second half to play more naturally.
There is progress in small steps
Do you feel your team progressing?
Yes. There is progress, small steps. I’m happy with that. This is how you have to improve. The team is gaining confidence when we were still trailing. The team gains in tactical richness.
Were you surprised by this team from Saint-Étienne?
We knew that this team was aggressive, tactically with clear ideas and good performance. She has a good coach and players capable of putting us in difficulty. In the first half, I think we have to assume the tactical plan. We couldn’t convey the good ideas. We gained in fluidity, in connection to dominate the game in second.
How do you analyze the chances conceded by your team?
I repeat. Nantes is an accident, not a reference. It was a difficult game to manage after the game against Real Madrid. In the first half, tonight, we conceded chances, we did not know how to read the match as it should. In the second, we were able to cope. French football is dynamic with aggressive, powerful players. If we make mistakes, we concede chances. I am happy with the defensive level of the team even if there are things to correct. We are working on that.