On the eve of Toulouse’s visit to the Parc des Princes, PSG coach Paul Le Guen discussed the upcoming clash and the return of Ludovic Giuly to the squad. Interview...

Paul, Ludovic Giuly is back in the squad…
“Yes, and it’s a good thing for everyone. My squad is basically full-strength, missing of course, Loris Arnaud who was operated on, on Saturday. It’s a real advantage to be able to, once again, count on a near-full strength squad. Ludo is back after having had the chance to train fully and also prepare for this match in the best circumstances. It’s great considering the two matches we have coming up. He’s a potential starter... He has the right characteristics to start these matches. We have prepared him to be ready. But, before then, there are the decisions I have to make and his inclusion in the starting XI is one of the choices I will have to make.”

When you play three games in six days, don’t you normally rotate the squad in the second or third game?
“Or even both. But that decision is also based on whether we play at home or away, for example, or how we feel the players are at training every day. I took a decision ahead of the Schalke match for the following two games. What we saw in Marseille was generally positive. The team played well and the game was very entertaining. There’s the old saying: Don’t change a winning team... we’ll see.”

After that win against Marseille (4-2), is there a risk it will go to the players’ heads?
“I don’t think so. We have experienced players, and our own recent past will ensure we don’t get carried away. We have to remain calm, but focussed. It’s a tough match given the quality of the Toulouse side which is above us on the table. We’ve also one day less than Toulouse to recover because they played on Saturday. But with our home support and the winning momentum after our games against Marseille and Lorient, we can do it. It’s an opportunity for us to confirm our place in the top half of the table and the players are aware of that. So we have to continue our good away form and get the points at home.”

PSG is undefeated in Ligue 1 since the Nancy match and the change to a 4-3-3 formation... Has that change in style affected the results?
“I’ve thought about that. But like everything, I analyse everything by taking a step back. Perhaps the change in formation had its consequence, but we’ve also had a bit of luck as well. The players are combining better and most are playing in preferred positions. The only problem is Peguy, but he’s getting to grips with the right wing. I’d used him before in this position with Lyon and he played some really top quality matches.”

Since the formation change, PSG has also been conceding more goals...
“I’ve thought about that too, but I think this tactical change was something we needed to achieve, if you like. We have ‘opened’ our game a little more, but we needed to. We were great defensively, but we were struggling to score. This system gives more liberty to certain players, but we do have to resolve the new defensive issues we’ve encountered in recent games. The goals we’ve conceded have come from mistakes. It’s often the case, but with us they have been big, big mistakes. Now we have to fix those problems...”