On the eve of Saturday’s visit of Toulouse to the Parc des Princes, PSG coach Antoine Kombouaré talks about the match...

Coach, how are you feeling leading up to Saturday’s match with Toulouse?
“I know what the Toulouse camp has been saying, whether it be Alain Casanova, the coach, or the players. They know that time is on their side. If they make life difficult for us, they hope the Parc des Princes will turn against us. We know the story, we need to be focused and pull out a big game. We need all three points for the win – that will do us the world of good. We need to relax and enjoy our football and build on the positives from our last two matches against Vesoul and Nancy. We played well at the back, we kept two cleansheets and our opponents didn’t have many chances. We rediscovered the virtues that have been our strengths.”

What do you think about this Toulouse team?
“Toulouse is the best defence in France along with Bordeaux. They are a very athletic team who love it when things get physical. They are very strong one against one. The Téfécé also have some very good attackers, most notably with the recent arrival of Kazim, but also Tabanou and Braaten. Their midfield is solid and they know how to play football. They’re a good team, a solid opponent.”

Compared to the problems you encountered at Valenciennes when you were coach there... are things different in Paris? “No, it’s the same. The same old problems at Valenciennes and at Strasbourg before that! When you’re a coach, you always have problems. Tour job, above all, is to find solutions and not get sidetracked by what the press might be saying about your squad. I say the same thing to my players. You need to be strong and put outside pressure out of your mind. You need to believe in what you’re doing and believe in your team.”

You’ve tried to pick your players’ pride several times this season. Don’t you think it’ll be hard for you to use that in the future?
“I’m extremely demanding with the players, because I am with myself. When I say certain things, they know there are times when enough is enough. If anyone should be saying things from time to tie, it’s me. That’s my role. A coach shouldn’t only talk when things are going great, but also when things are going badly. I have confidence in my players and I only have one thing on my mind, find solutions to allow us to start winning matches. At the end of a match, when I’m not happy, it would be hypocritical of me to tell the media that we’d played well.”