Ahead of Friday’s huge clash away to Olympique Lyonnais at the Stade Gerland, Paris Saint-Germain captain Claude Makelele spoke about the club’s ambitions before discussing his own personal situation...

Claude, how is the squad feeling ahead of the Lyon match?
“It was important that we bounce back after the defeat to Dynamo Kiev and those two heavy Ligue 1 losses. We needed the home win to give us a mental boost. We did that thanks to a good win over Le Havre. As for a possibly ‘fragile’ Lyon, it’s true that they’re going through a rough patch. However I still think they remain favourites for the title. Les Lyonnais have to fight back to avoid dropping out of the race all together. It’s going to be a very tough match, we’ll have to be watchful and not give them any chances, especially in the opening 15 minutes which we’ve been guilty of occasionally. Lyon is a team that will take advantage of any slip up – no doubt about that. To fall behind on the scoreboard would make it very hard to comeback against them.”

Do you think Olympique Lyonnais are a rival for the title or a rival for a Champions League place?
“They will be rivals for the Champions League if we beat them on Friday at the Stade Gerland. At the start of the year, PSG’s main goal was to stay in Ligue 1 and try and finish in the top half of the table. Today, we’re talking about qualifying directly for a European competition. We’re still rebuilding. The team has found a certain style, and things are starting to look up. We need to keep heading in this direction, keep gaining in confidence, but one season isn’t enough for such a huge reconstruction. To talk about winning the title is perhaps a little presumptuous, especially considering there are teams like Bordeaux and Marseille who recruited well and are very ambitious. Those two clubs have bigger budgets and squads so are automatically better placed to take on OL.”


What then are the club’s aims for this end of season run?
“Like I said, the team has to continue to rebuild. We have to concentrate on ourselves and not the other teams. I think we can fight for a place in the top five or six – perhaps as high as fourth, which would be a great result considering the difficulties experienced last season. Of course it would be great to qualify for the Champions League. If we qualify, it means we deserve it, but we’ll need to get a maximum number of points from now until the end of the season, especially from our away matches. And that starts with Friday’s game. To get a win, we’re going to have to fight against a fearsome side, both on an individual and a collective level.”

What do you think about Guillaume Hoarau’s rise?
“There’s no secret. His rise through the ranks is due to several things: hard work, but also the atmosphere he helps create within the squad, how he gets on with all the players. He’s already made huge advances but he still has room to improve, to polish himself and reach a truly international level of play. And for that, he’ll need time. I’d say two or three more years.”

And finally, have you made a decision about your future at the club?
“No, I haven’t made any decision just yet. When I signed for PSG, I made it clear I wanted to commit myself to the club for the long term future. Physically, I feel capable of playing on and my desire is still there. I’ve given myself until the end of the season to keep thinking about it.”