‘When You Play At PSG You Can’t Be Selfish’ – Herrera Applauds Team Effort

Paris Saint-Germain’s capped off a hellish January fixture list with a 2-0 win over Paul FC (National) to reach the quarter-finals of the Coupe de France.

In the first month of 2020, PSG played a total of eight games with six of them on the road. Their record over this stretch? Seven wins and one draw and they outscored their opponents 27-5. In fact, PSG hasn’t allowed a goal since January 15 against AS Monaco at the Stade Louis II.

Even more remarkable is the fact that manager Thomas Tuchel has had to rotate his squad weekly to compensate for injuries, transfer negotiations, and to just give some of his stars a rest.

Against Pau, Tuchel made some notable changes, including naming Leandro Paredes as captain and it was a move that worked out brilliantly.

Paredes scored the first goal of the night and his long-ball pass into Pau’s penalty box to Mauro Icardi eventually led to Pablo Sarabia’s tap-in to secure qualification to the next round of the French cup.

Ander Herrera also got the start in midfield alongside Paredes with Marco Verratti and Idrissa Gueye left on the bench to rest. The Spaniard didn’t have a particularly noteworthy game (Le Parisien rated him a 6 out of 10) and he was subbed off in the 76th minute for Verratti. After the match, he spoke about the win over Pau, PSG’s confidence, his health, and Edinson Cavani via Le Parisien.

Sense of accomplishment after defeating Pau?

Yes. We want to win all of the titles. We can be very happy because I think we played with a lot of concentration and respect for our opponent. And in the end, it gives a very good match because the pitch was really not good. But, that’s the same for both teams. That’s not an excuse.

More confidence?

We have confidence. We have a lot of players ready to help, a lot of possibilities, different systems. Everyone is very motivated to go and win as many titles as possible. Thilo [Kehrer] did not play for a long time and he was very good. Pablo [Sarabia] is there to score goals. [Eric Maxim] Choupo [-Moting] is the same thing. Mauro [Icardi] played with great humility. We have to continue like this. I am very optimistic about the next few months.

How do you feel?

I feel very good after the two injuries I had in the first part of the season. I’m here to give opportunities to the coach. When you play at PSG you can’t be selfish.

What is Cavani’s state of mind amidst transfer speculation?

This is a question for the sports director. I am a gamer. But, for me, since I arrived in Paris, Edi is an example.

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Tags Ander Herrera Coupe de France Edinson Cavani Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting Idrissa Gueye Marco Verratti Mauro Icardi Pau FC Thilo Kehrer Thomas Tuchel
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