As attention turns towards the third and final game of the tour in the United States, our manager also explained the reason why Falcao, Juan Cuadrado and Willian were introduced 70 minutes into the game against Paris St-Germain, having had just two days of training.
‘I discussed it a lot with [assistant coach] Rui Faria and we thought that 20 minutes of football is more rich, has more ingredients than training in a small group of three,’Mourinhosaid.‘So we decided to give Falcao, Willlian and Juan Cuadrado this 20 to 25 minutes which was very good for them.‘Now they are not ready to start but against Barcelona, I think they can go from 20 to 30 minutes. I will give them that.’Mourinho also shared with the club’s channel some further thoughts on the PSG game, ultimately won on a penalty shoot-out, and why the opening goal conceded, when a rebound was turned in after a shot hit the post, was a natural part of pre-season, especially playing against a side who are further down the line with their preparations.‘Paris St-Germain’s intensity was obviously much higher than ours but as a training session and a complement for what we are doing, it was very good for us.‘Step by step the players have some more happiness in their legs. We still feel some of them have accumulation of fatigue with slow movement and slow thinking and that goal was typical - too slow to think to take the ball out of the pressure zone, but step by step we are coming.’. Courtois: Stepping upnews1 day For any goalkeeper, making the saves required to help your team win a penalty shoot-out is a special feeling. Having such a direct impact on the outcome of a game is rare for those whose best work is done between the posts.But what is even rarer for the man with the gloves is to score the winning goal in a game, either during normal time or from 12 yards. Against Paris Saint-Germain last night, Thibaut Courtoisexperienced all these emotions and more during what was only the second-ever penalty shoot-out he has contested as a professional football player.‘Of course I enjoyed it,’ a visibly excited Courtois told the official Chelsea website after the game.‘There were 60,000 people in the stadium, and even if it wasn’t the Champions League final there was still a little bit of pressure. It’s important to feel that and I felt confident to shoot.‘I practice taking very strong shots in training sometimeswithJamal Blackman. We play some games after training and penalty kicks are part of it. I just thought I would shoot strong and even if the goalkeeper went to the correct side he would not get it.‘The manager and Christophe [Lollichon, the goalkeepingcoach] asked me to shoot one in the first five and I said if there’s a space open I would do it. Five people stepped up so it was no problem but I said if we needed one more to win I would take it. So I think I would have taken the sixth penalty if we had a chance to win it then.’Courtois’ penalty was the first goal he has ever scored as a professional, and his first of any kind since he was 15. His spot-kick was about as emphatic as they come; it would certainly be no exaggeration to say it whizzed past PSG’s Salvatore Sirigu before he could move. He is still yet to compete in a competitive shoot-out but yesterday’s experience will do him no harm as and when that time comes.
Comments
Post a Comment