Paris Saint-Germain head coach Mauricio Pochettino has come out to express that he is not concerned by the lack of goals from his attackers after the Ligue 1 leaders beat Montpellier 2-0 on Saturday night in a Ligue 1 tie.
PSG stretched their perfect start to the season, Pochettino’s men making it eight wins from eight league matches this season thanks to goals from midfielder Idrissa Gueye and winger Julian Draxler.
In the continued absence of superstar Lionel Messi who is still out due to a knee injury and could even miss the Champions League clash with Manchester City, Kylian Mbappe and Neymar wasted chances as midfielder Gueye and winger Draxler stepped up at the Parc des Princes.
PSG midfielder Idrissa Gana Gueye (right) celebrates after scoring against Montpellier on Saturday night in a Ligue 1 tie. | PHOTO: Courtesy |
Mbappe has failed to net his last 13 shots in Ligue 1, his longest drought from shots in the top flight since August-September 2019 when he ran 16 shots without scoring.
“We created a lot of opportunities today, but they didn’t score them. We leave that aside,” Pochettino told the media after the match against Montpellier. “The quality we have in our team and especially with our attacking players, it’s only a matter of time before they score.
“I have no doubt that they will score a lot of goals this season. Tonight, we didn’t score more than two goals, that is true.”
Pochettino added: “It’s always important that our midfielders bring goals to the team. When our attackers are not as effective, they can deliver which is a huge bonus.
“That doesn’t surprise me. But yes, it’s important that the midfielders have this ability to get into the opponent’s box and score.”
PSG manager Mauricio Pochettino. | PHOTO: Courtesy |
Gueye smashed in the opener in the 14th minute in the French capital, where Draxler came off the bench and added a late second to send PSG 10 points clear atop the table.
PSG have now won six consecutive Ligue 1 games against Saturday’s opponents making their longest streak against this side in the top flight. They have even won each of these games by a margin of at least two goals, only doing more in a row against the same opponent twice before against St Etienne between 1983 and 1990 (seven) and Bastia between 1984 and 2000 (nine).
French powerhouse PSG has won each of their first eight games in Ligue 1 this season. This is only the third time that it happened in the league’s entire history after PSG in 2018-19 and Lille in 1936-37.
“I think evolution is important in all aspects. I am satisfied in general. But it is normal that with more time we will improve in all areas of the game. We are satisfied that on a collective level we are showing more defensively solid,” Pochettino said.
“As far as the principles of the game where possession is concerned, we are still building. But we can see improvements in many aspects. I am happy. It takes time for the players to be on the pitch and for the connections and relationships to develop. This will help us in the future.”
After the win against Montpelier, PSG will now prepare to host Manchester City at Pac des Princes on Tuesday night for a UEFA Champions League clash.
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