Marco Verratti said that Paris Saint Germain began the season with a lot of difficulties after the loss in the Champions League final.
Marco Verratti acknowledged that Paris Saint Germain had a burdensome start to the new season. He described the tough situation with the phrase “very difficult”.
Additionally, PSG looks to recover from their disappointing Champions League campaign.
The French club took part in their first-ever Champions League final. Though, Verratti’s side lost to Bayern Munich 1-0. Kingsley Coman scored the only goal of the game.
The European tournament ended on August 23 in Lisbon. Right after, PSG required to play Ligue 1 games starting from September 10. The club played four games in total.
PSG lost their first two games against Lens and Marseille. And won the following two games against Metz and Nice.
Marseille’s game was a disaster for the Paris side. The game saw five red cards in total for the club. Subsequently, Angel Di Maria received a four-match ban for spitting on the opposing defender.
Due to the Di Maria incident, Neymar had a fight with Marseille defender Alvaro Gonzalez. Later, the Brazilian accused the defender of racism.
Verratti did not play one of the three opening games. The Italy international admitted that PSG did not meet the standards. Although, the club hopes to go back in form soon.
“It’s the first time I’ve experienced a start to the season like this. Playing a Champions League final on the 23rd and having a match on the 29th, I don’t say it as an excuse, but as an observation,” he told PSG’s official website.
“In the other leagues, it is clear that everyone had time to prepare for the start of the new season. It is necessary to protect the teams that can go far for the French championship, whether it is Paris or another team.
“We already knew, before facing Lens, that we wouldn’t be able to play our best. The same for Marseille, even if we wanted to give the maximum. Without a preseason, it was very difficult. Now we’re starting to get a little better, little by little we’re going to get back to the football we played last season.”
Verratti now completes 318 matches for the French club. He is one of the top five players in terms of appearances in the club’s history.
The Italian midfielder signed to the club from Pescara in 2012. Therefore, became a crucial part of the team and won seven Ligue 1 titles.
“It means a lot, to be one of the players who have worn this jersey the most is something beautiful,” he said. “It means that we have spent many years together, that we have won many titles, and I’m still young in football, I’m only 27 years old. So I hope to be able to play a lot more, to win even more.
“I wasn’t expecting that when I arrived and it’s fantastic to experience that here. I want to continue for a long time. To be the most capped player in the history of this club, that would be great.
“I love this club. It has made me grow, it has introduced me to real football, it has offered me everything. I have been able to play great matches, to play with great players, and I am happy here.”
PSG will play against Reims this weekend at Stade Auguste-Delaune.
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