PSG v Lens: Team spirit, Vitinha and Dembélé, Pierre Sage pulls no punches | OneFootball

This Sunday at 5:15 pm (broadcast on beIN SPORTS), Paris Saint-Germain (1st) faces Lens (5th) at Parc des Princes as part of the 4th day of Ligue 1 2025-2026. Lens coach Pierre Sage spoke about this match to Carré.

Sage "we need to play a perfect match."

A chance to play PSG after the break and before the UCL, or are you afraid of rotation with players who are hungry?

Last year I was asked this question after a European match and I said it: there is never a good time to play PSG, because the quality is always there. It's obvious that the players who usually play less will want more, so they will want to prove things. In any case, we need to play a perfect match.

Before focusing on the opponent, we must first focus on the quality of what we produce.

What to insist on to put them in danger: look for them high, with the risk of being stung...

Or I have the chance to recover the ball (smile).

Sage "I think that remains the best plan."

Yes, start low?

In any case, we know they have long periods of possession. And if they decide, these times can still increase. What stands out, in my opinion, is that the key is the moments when we have the ball. If we give it up too much, it often comes back and with their qualities they will find the gap. To exist, the idea is not to give it back too quickly and to use it well.

Is Thauvin even more essential?

That was my bias at the time in the Coupe de France final, by putting 3 players capable of holding the ball very high. And in the end, it didn't work as well as we wanted. But I think that remains the best plan.

Do you imagine putting them in danger, do you fantasize in this direction?

The Parc des Princes may be in turmoil, so we must consider that the environment has no influence on what we do. Conversely, when we play at home, the environment must have a great influence on what we do in addition. The ability of a team to overcome or use these things can make the difference.

Sage "also and especially the fact of playing as a team."

What do you like about Luis Enrique's PSG?

Everything. What they produce, the efficiency with which they do it, the quality of the game which is stable, but also and especially the fact of playing as a team.

The management of egos?

We find it at all levels. It's not because you have millions in your account that you have more ego. There is often a hierarchy on salary, on experience, on the status of the player. These are patterns that are found everywhere. We say that there are coaches who are not made for this, I do not share this idea. It's not because a player has won a lot that he can't listen.

Inspiration in this PSG?

Yes, of course, through the coach that I was already following before. And through the players, who are extraordinary.

Vitinha, the player who makes you dream.

The PSG player you would dream of having at Lens?

Today, I would say Vitinha. But it's not because of our need, but his ability to transform a bad ball into a super ball, or to, through a position, create a situation that didn't exist. He is a player that I was already following at Porto and who I was told very good things about, especially a trainer who told me that he had already understood everything in U14.

Is he like Verratti, but with a shot?

I would say he is more mobile. This is what is impressive in their midfield, their ability to switch, to manage pressing problems without a coach's instruction, they will take positions to pose problems.

Sage "He already tells the goalkeeper that he is going to have a problem."

Do you like Dembélé as a 9?

Yes, I like it a lot. What is impressive, beyond the offensive aspect, are the defensive efforts. He understood that by doing this with his partners, they would also have the ball and they could score quickly.

The image of Dembélé pressing the goalkeeper, is it useful?

Yes, we see his determination. He already tells the goalkeeper that he is going to have a problem. There is a power struggle.

Is he the favorite for the Ballon d'Or?

He should be the front-runner in my opinion.

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