Blanc, Mourinho satisfied with draw
Tuesday, February 17, 2015
Article summary
"We played well, almost a perfect game," said Laurent Blanc despite mixed feelings after Paris Saint-Germain held Chelsea FC, José Mourinho happier with the first half.
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• Laurent Blanc has "mixed feelings" after Paris draw 1-1 at home to Chelsea
• Paris coach says "it was a pleasure watching this game" but rued away goal
• José Mourinho happier with first half than second, when Paris were "closer to winning"
• Second leg on 11 March at Stamford Bridge, where Chelsea beat Paris 2-0 last year
Laurent Blanc, Paris coach
I have mixed feelings tonight. We prepared for this game quite well and anticipated things they might do. Everything happened almost as we had planned, which is satisfying. It was a pleasure watching this game. We played well, almost a perfect game. Except for one thing, we did exactly what we had planned.
It's a bit frustrating. We have to admit this Chelsea side came here to score an away goal and got it. They scored thanks to a move involving only defenders when we were focused on players like Eden Hazard and Willian. All their players must be focused on equally.
We showed our qualities tonight. I'm proud of my players. Look at our last campaigns: we went out to Chelsea and Barcelona on away goals. It's the reason why I elected to field David Luiz as a midfielder.
José and I spoke before and after the game. We wished each other luck, but when he says we can win the four competitions we are in, I know he is being a bit ironic. He knows there is the Champions League among those competitions and he wants to win that instead of us.
We'll keep attacking in the return leg but we'll do it smartly. One goal will be enough if we defend well.
José Mourinho, Chelsea manager
The first half was our half. They were playing deep, so we could play the ball around and let the clock tick. In the second half, they were much more aggressive, managing to win the ball quickly. Overall the draw is a fair result but if you take into account the number of chances and saves by goalkeepers, they had more than us, so if someone was closer to winning, it was Paris.
This two-legged tie is now a one-legged match. With this 1-1 draw, everything is open. They're a fantastic team with fantastic players. They have a great front three – when they make a chance, they are dangerous. There's really a lot of talent in that team. Now everything will be decided at Stamford Bridge.
You expect the attacking players to score goals, but when you have two or three other players who can score, it's really better.
Branislav Ivanović seems to choose his moments. Against Liverpool, tonight with an away goal in a Champions League match, with the UEFA Europa League final – all important goals.
Often you know the injured players will not play, but sometimes they surprise you. [Eden] Hazard, Willian, Oscar, [Cesc] Fàbregas and Ivanović hadn't trained since the Everton game. Yesterday they trained for the media and to show they could play. Cesc was sick in bed for three days and couldn't train but they all came back in and gave everything.