Paris Saint-Germain’s Thomas Tuchel On Manchester United Defeat, Moise Kean And Group H

Paris Saint-Germain coach Thomas Tuchel was at a loss to explain his side’s surprise 2-1 defeat at home against Manchester United in the Champions League. Last season’s finalist debuted in the 2020/21 group stage of Europe’s premier club competition with a performance that ill-befitted a club with such playing personnel and resources at its disposal. Even after conceding a penalty from Portuguese midfielder Bruno Fernandes in the first half, PSG offered little to no reaction. 

“We played well before this, with five straight wins,” said Tuchel at a news conference. “It was a performance without intensity, without aggression, without getting the ball back, without counter-pressing. It was a bit bizarre. I don’t know why.”

He had already spotted before the match in the French capital that his group was a bit more timid than usual. “Before the game, the mood in the locker room was a bit too calm,” observed Tuchel. “I had a weird feeling. Normally we listen to a lot of music, very loud, and it wasn’t like that today. At halftime, it was not the time to be angry.”

In the break, Tuchel substituted Idrissa Gueye for Moise Kean because of injury, and PSG exited the locker room with more focus and drive. The host leveled through an absurd own goal from Anthony Martial following a bright spell. “We brought Moise (Kean), we took a lot of risks with the counterattacks,” explained Tuchel. “We improved and got a goal. We had chances but had problems controlling their counterattacks because we lost our structure.”

The equalizer however didn’t lead to a Parisian renaissance. Instead, Manchester United maintained its shape and lurked dangerously on the counterattack, which eventually led to Marcus Rashford’s late winner. It was a deja vu for PSG and Tuchel. They were eliminated by Manchester United in 2019 in dramatic fashion in the same competition. Tuchel said: “The end was hard, to lose 2-1, but now everyone knows that we have landed in a very difficult group and it is going to be even more difficult.” 

Group H also includes RB Leipzig, who defeated Istanbul 2-0. The German club reached the last four of the Champions League in August, but met its match in PSG losing 3-0. The home defeat leaves Tuchel and his team on the back foot with a trip to the Turkish capital to come before the double header with Leipzig.

PSG remains a club that is obsessed with winning the Champions League and following a lukewarm start to the domestic season Tuchel is back in the hot seat. His relationship with the club’s sporting director Leonardo has been very strained.  “I knew it was a difficult group – I didn’t need the proof,” said Tuchel. “I always want to protect my players because they are the same ones who have played well in recent months. We struggled to find the right state of mind in the Champions League. It’s clear we can improve and we must. We’re not happy with the performance but now is not the moment to be too critical in public.”

The German coach concluded: “The players have spoken. I have the impression that they are disappointed and that they don’t know why it was so complicated today. The good news is that we can’t play another half like that. It is not hard to play better than this.”