PSG/Metz – Tavenot pulls no punches on the defeat and staying up

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·22 febbraio 2026

PSG/Metz – Tavenot pulls no punches on the defeat and staying up

Paris Saint-Germain and Metz faced off this Saturday at the Parc des Princes as part of the 23rd day of Ligue 1 2025-2026. The match ended with a Parisian victory 3-0 (video summary PSG/Metz). After this match, Metz coach Benoît Tavenot spoke at a press conference.

Tavenot “we have shortcomings to compete with PSG and it hurt us.”

“What weaknesses of PSG did you work on before this defeat (0-3)? Weaknesses? (smile) We hoped to snatch five or six balls in their defensive zone to quickly counterattack, trying to put them under pressure on their first passes. But we got turned around too early in the match and conceded that goal which hurt us. I had emphasized that once we recovered the ball, we needed to show at least some personality. But we have shortcomings to compete with PSG and it hurt us.

Tavenot “What makes me believe is the behavior and mindset of the players.”

Are there still reasons to believe in staying up? The playoff spot is still reachable. But it's true that as time goes on, we have fewer points to gain and the window narrows. As I told my players in the locker room, I have nothing to reproach them for in terms of investment. The reproach is more that we lack character. What makes me believe is the behavior and mindset of the players. I don’t have guys who don’t run or have given up. And in this situation, it’s very important. Courage is needed, even if of course, courage is not enough…”, comments relayed by L’Equipe.

There are always weaknesses in a team, none is perfect. However, PSG does not show many points where it is easy to compete with them. Even with rotation, there are mostly internationals on the field. Especially since the Parisians approached the match very seriously, with good collective efforts.

OneFootball Video

It then becomes very complicated for the 18th in Ligue 1 to compete. It’s obviously troublesome, as points are needed. But Tavenot cannot make it a particular point of concern. Apart from that infamous goal conceded in the early minutes, while the Metz coach had emphasized this issue in recent games. Metz must manage to hold on better to avoid finding themselves in great difficulty.

There is still some positive to take away, with a group that doesn’t give up. Neither in this match nor in the succession of weekends. Metz must keep this, with combativeness and solidarity, to maintain hope of staying up. It’s far from over, even though it’s time to start earning points.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇫🇷 here.