Tuchel on PSG loss to United: We simply weren't on the pitch

12:44pm on Wednesday 21st October 2020
By Martin Macdonald

PSG head coach Thomas Tuchel believes his side's performance against Manchester United in the Champions League is one of the worst in his tenure.

Right from the opening whistle the French champions looked out-of-sorts, with Neymar and Kylian Mbappe failing to impact the game despite United having put together an untested back five.

The visitors took the lead via a Bruno Fernandes penalty, while PSG were lucky to equalise in the second half after an own goal from Anthony Martial.

Marcus Rashford would eventually score the winner with a lashed strike in off the post in the 87th minute.

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Tuchel says the first half, in particular, was one of the worst he has seen from his players.

"In the first half, we were simply not on the pitch," he told beIN SPORTS.

"It was not our level. I don't know why, but I can just say that it was not our level, in moving the ball, in possession, in counter-attacking, in challenges, in intensity.

"By far, one of our worst games, one of our worst first halves."

The former Dortmund head coach adds that it actually could not have been worse, and admits that a tactical gamble to go more offensive in the latter stages did not pay off.

"The good news was that it could not be worse. Okay, we were down 1-0, it is easy to play better in the second half and we had to step up, it was clear," he continued.

"We tried to do some tactical changes because of the injury of Idrissa Gueye, we tried to bring on one more offensive guy, which was a risk that we paid for at the end also. It was like this today.

"From the start until the end it felt like we were never at our highest level, and we weren't really into the match like was absolutely necessary on this level."

PSG reached the final of the Champions League for the first time in the 2019/20 campaign, but lost to Bayern in Lisbon.

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