Paris Saint-Germain bounced back from its Ligue 1 away loss to Nantes as it recorded a key 3-1 win over AS Saint-Etienne. The match featured standout performances from the likes of Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe, as they each chipped in for vital goal contributions in the match.
At the start of the second half, PSG manager Mauricio Pochettino opted to sub off Thilo Kehrer for Angel Di Maria. PSG shifted over to a three-at-the-back setup, which Pochettino opened up about in his post-match comments (via L’Equipe).
“The start of the game was not good, I take responsibility for that,” Pochettino said. “Things weren’t clear, I didn’t know how to transmit correctly what we had to do. We were able to correct some things in the second half, to play in a more natural way.
“There is small progress, that’s how we have to progress. The team showed that it had the confidence to come back to score. The little adjustments showed that the players had more confidence. This gives us more richness at the tactical level to face the next deadlines.”
Overall, the tactical switch worked, as PSG scored two goals and also recorded 13 total shots in the latter half of the match.
It will be noteworthy to see whether Pochettino plans to once again opt for a three-at-the-back setup over the remainder of the season. But for now, PSG will have a key league away match against OGC Nice up next on its schedule.
