2023-10-03 18:30:08
The duel between Newcastle and Paris Saint-Germain is on. This Wednesday evening, the Parisians will play their second match of the group stage of the Champions League on the pitch at St James’Park with a second consecutive victory in their sights. This Tuesday, Eddie Howe, the English coach, and Kieran Trippier spoke to the press, and showed a lot of respect for their opponent.
The former Bournemouth player and coach was also very clear: he fears Kylian Mbappé. “It is very difficult to face him,” he admitted. Our defense was solid, our team was efficient. It’s never the work of just one player. I don’t believe in individual marking. We must perform well in our solidarity, reduce the spaces and, hopefully, keep the best player in the world quiet. »
Trippier “ready for the challenge” Mbappé
Asked about the qualities of the captain of the Blues, which he should face on the field given their respective positions, the full-back was more measured than his coach. “Paris has incredible players,” he conceded. Mbappé is one of the best in the world, but they have quality all over the pitch. But on a good day, we can hurt anyone. »
This is not the first clash between the two men. “I faced him on his debut at Monaco when I was at Tottenham,” he recalled. I also played against him for England a few years ago. He’s a fantastic player. I am ready for this challenge. I’ve played against a lot of very good wingers and it won’t be any different tomorrow. »
Eddie Howe insists on playing without the ball
Kieran Trippier did not hesitate to share a little anecdote: his son is a big fan of Kylian Mbappé. “I joked with him last night,” he said. He wants to go out with him tomorrow night and not with me! I’m not happy ! I told him that if he was going to go out with him, he shouldn’t look at me in the tunnel! »
The Parisian striker is not the only threat for Newcastle, however. Asked about the qualities of Paris Saint-Germain, Eddie Howe focused mainly on what his team must put in place to hope to win. “Part of our challenge is to do our job correctly in terms of playing without the ball,” he stressed. We need to find the right balance. During our last series of matches, we had a very good performance during the phases without possession of the ball. »
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