PSG's Vitinha on Arsenal Champions League semi final first leg
28/04/2025
uefa25 champions league
28/04/2025
uefa25 champions league
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00:00to this press conference for match day minus one between Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain.
00:05This is the first leg for the semifinal. We've got Vitinha. You can ask questions in English
00:11or in French. Away you go. Since the defeat again,
00:27we see that you're not as strong as you have been at the beginning of the season with PSG.
00:33Is this something? How can you explain your poor performance recently?
00:42Good afternoon, everyone. I'm not maybe playing on top form at the moment.
00:48There are a couple of... But that happens to everyone. It's just a tough spell.
00:53Obviously, I'm doing everything I can to ensure that I'm giving it my all.
00:56And that's what I'm going to do. But I'm not worried at all.
01:03So you're in the semifinal of the Champions League.
01:06Can you talk us through what you've learned from last year compared to where you are this year?
01:13I don't know. Is your approach different?
01:15How did the defeat last year help you?
01:17It's a little bit difficult for me to really go into details here with anything specific.
01:21Obviously, now we're in the semifinal of the Champions League.
01:25But we have never been to a final.
01:28But this is just a experience, maybe lack of experience.
01:33And maybe we'll be able to better manage things,
01:37be this in Paris or in London tomorrow.
01:40But we're going to do everything we can to put it out the bag
01:43and to ensure that there is a different end.
01:45I think that maybe we can talk about fatigue.
01:59I'm not sure if fatigue is the issue.
02:01But I do think that we shouldn't get too stuck up in this.
02:07Sometimes we play well.
02:09Sometimes we don't play as well.
02:10But as I mentioned, tomorrow I'm going to do everything I can
02:14to ensure that I'm giving it my all and that the team is at 100%.
02:18It's been a little while now.
02:43And I think that with regards to the match that we were playing,
02:52it's obviously different.
02:54It's a different game.
02:55It'll be a different game tomorrow, even because it's just at the stage
03:00of the competition that we're at.
03:01We're going to try and pull out a different result tomorrow.
03:09But I don't think we're going to change that much compared to how we play
03:13and our playing style.
03:15We're always true to ourselves and true to our way of playing football.
03:20But obviously, we are going to do some things differently
03:24because we lost last time and tomorrow we're looking for the win.
03:31You lost last week against Nice in Ligue 1 in France.
03:39What is the mindset for the team?
03:42How are you guys feeling knowing that maybe you didn't dominate,
03:47you're not that same Imperial Paris Saint-Germain as you have been before?
03:50As I mentioned before, on a personal note, we're not worried.
03:55I'm not worried.
03:55The team's not worried.
03:56We're in the semi-final of the Champions League and we are here to play the game.
04:06We're giving a thousand percent and we are not going to be thinking
04:11about the last defeat against Nice or even the draw in North.
04:17That's not what we wanted, but it's behind us.
04:20It's water on the bridge and we're going to focus on the game tomorrow
04:23and we're going to do everything that we can to ensure that we get the right result tomorrow.
04:32We've spoken about experience against Dortmund last year,
04:37also the game here at the Maritz Stadium in October.
04:40What have you taken away?
04:42What are the takeaways from these different?
04:44My personal experience, you mean?
04:45As I've mentioned earlier, obviously, it's going to be a different game tomorrow.
04:50Maybe there are certain things that happened in October that we let through,
04:55that we won't be letting through tomorrow,
04:56but obviously we are going to be a lot more accurate.
04:59We're going to be a lot more prepared.
05:01And even with all of the other games that we've played in the French League,
05:06in the French Cups and in the Champions League,
05:09we've learned a lot, we've changed a lot,
05:11and we've developed a lot.
05:13And we're going to show a different face tomorrow
05:16because we're not the same team that we were in October.
05:22The game in October, Dembele wasn't there.
05:26So what does this change, the fact that he's going to be here tomorrow for the semi-final?
05:31Dembele is an essential player for our team.
05:33He's an incredible player.
05:34And when he's on your side, it's always better.
05:36It's better than not having him.
05:38Therefore, I hope that he's going to bring it to the game tomorrow,
05:42and we're going to do everything to help him as well.
05:45The issue is often linked to intensity, physical intensity.
05:56And what are these types of midfielders?
05:58We see very intense.
05:59Damien Rose tomorrow will be in midfield.
06:01How is there a certain fear, or is there something that you're going to try and create
06:05in order to ensure that you're up to the same fitness levels as Damien Rose in the Arsenal midfield?
06:11I think I've already answered this type of question before with regards to physical aspects,
06:16but I couldn't repeat the same thing if you want.
06:19I don't think that there's an issue at all in our midfield.
06:23We won against Liverpool.
06:26You said exactly the same thing to us.
06:28You said, oh, from an athletic point of view, it's going to be difficult for you.
06:31But actually, we won that.
06:33And maybe at Aston Villa, it was different when we were at Villapar,
06:38but it was better when we were at home.
06:40It's always a different game.
06:41And I don't think it's because we lack in physicality.
06:45We can get better.
06:47We're maybe not always hitting 10 out of 10, but we're going to do everything to get that win tomorrow.
06:54And we know that this will help us, and we're going to help the team win the game.
06:59Thank you very much.
07:00We've seen wonderful games for this season.
07:04So we've got Liverpool, Manchester City.
07:06Do you think that Arsenal are the favourites tomorrow?
07:08Or do you think that PSG, maybe being the underdog, is in a best position?
07:14I don't think there's a favourite for tomorrow.
07:16We're playing an away leg for us, so that's always a little bit different.
07:25So maybe that's what it is.
07:27But no, I don't think that there's a favourite for the game tomorrow.
07:29And the same will be said when we play in Paris next week.
07:37Since Luis Enrique came, we've seen a new dimension in PSG.
07:41Could you maybe tell us how he's helped you and PSG progress on a daily basis?
07:47I think I've had the opportunity in the past to speak about this,
07:52but I can answer the question if you want.
07:54No issue at all.
07:55He's helped me a lot.
07:57He's helped me from a tactical standpoint.
08:00Because I always tended to think that it was better just to run a little bit all over the place,
08:09but that's not always the best thing.
08:14He's incredible in this aspect.
08:17I think I've already said that.
08:19He trusts me and he trusts my teammates as well.
08:26And this trust actually helps us pull up our level.
08:29As well.
08:31For Lekhi, we spoke about Lusman Dembélé.
08:34He is a cornerstone of the team.
08:37Can you talk about his leadership?
08:39Is he someone that leads by example on the pitch?
08:42What type of leader is Dembélé?
08:43That's exactly it.
08:46I think he's a leader for, and he shows by example.
08:50He leads by example.
08:52We can see this in the way that he gives it his all.
08:56He's always 100% in the game, not only up front, but also he gets down the back to defend when he needs to.
09:01And we want to help him.
09:03We want to give it our all for him as well.
09:08And he's an incredible type of leader.
09:12It's an incredible type of leadership.
09:13And in the dressing room, and even when we're off the pitch, everyone knows him.
09:22Everyone finds him quite funny.
09:25There's not one single player at PSG that doesn't like Dembélé, so it's incredible.
09:29Thank you very much.
09:31I'm from RMC.
09:33What is the difference between this type of game and the second question?
09:41Have you spoken about set pieces?
09:43Because we know that set pieces is one of Arsenal's strengths.
09:47So, doué ou barcola.
09:49That was the first question.
09:49I think that both of them have different qualities.
09:55They have different arms in their arsenal, and it's up to the coach to decide whether
10:03they're going to play together, whether one of them is going to play.
10:06That decision is his, not mine.
10:08But obviously, doué and barcola are both very important players for the squad,
10:13and I hope that whoever plays, it will be a great performance.
10:16And what's the second question?
10:17The second question was set pieces.
10:18Okay.
10:20So, we're going to be talking about this.
10:25And when we've got these, we also have the right statistics, we're going to see what
10:39we can be doing, and offensively and also defensively.
10:43What type of game will we be expecting tomorrow?
10:51And how do you think this first leg is going to go against Arsenal?
10:56So, tomorrow, I think the game is going to be quite difficult.
10:59I think that we're going to give them a run for their money and vice versa.
11:02It will be a game that the devil will be in the details, and that's always the case for
11:13the Champions League.
11:14But we will try and ensure that we're not making those mistakes, and we're trying to
11:22try and force Arsenal to make those mistakes that we need them to make.
11:25I think that Arsenal is a great team.
11:29Arsenal was a great team in October.
11:30They're still a great team.
11:31They've got a brilliant squad.
11:33And I think it's their best quality.
11:39I don't think it's the set pieces per se.
11:43For me, it's the way that the squad plays together, up front, down the back, and the
11:48fact that they're a well-welded team.
11:50But it's the same thing at PSG, and that's what we're going to try and play to tomorrow
11:55as well.
11:57Thank you very much.
11:57I've got a question with regards to managing your emotions.
12:00But it's a big game tomorrow.
12:02So, how are you keeping the core head?
12:06I imagine that the coach speaks to you a lot, but do you guys have player meetings?
12:10Do you guys have chats?
12:11Or do you try and maybe not talk about things and not let it get too big?
12:19Yeah, absolutely.
12:19It's the mental aspects are very important aspects, especially for this type of game.
12:25We've had fixtures like this, Aston Villa, Liverpool, up until now.
12:31Even in our league, it's important to keep a core head, to have good emotional control.
12:39We speak about this in the dressing room before we come out onto the pitch, again at halftime
12:44and even at the end of the game.
12:45And it's a very important aspect for this type of fixture, especially with the pressure
12:55that's on our shoulders.
12:55If you give 400% of what you've got tomorrow, do you think that PSG can qualify?
13:06If we give everything we've got, yeah, I think that we can come away with our heads high
13:13and proud of what we've shown.
13:16And I hope that that will be our ticket for the final.
13:21And I hope, but I can promise our supporters that we're going to do everything.
13:25We've got one last question for Vizinha, please.
13:27John Crossman, I wonder whether I can ask you a question in English.
13:30It's been so obvious to everyone that's senior this season that you're one of the best midfielders
13:34in this competition.
13:35You've clearly been brilliant in this competition.
13:38I wonder whether I could just ask you about your time in English football.
13:41Was that a big learning experience for you?
13:44Was it a frustrating time?
13:45Was it sort of a positive time in terms of, you know, learning more about football?
13:49Could you just talk about that, please?
13:54I think that I didn't see that it was a positive experience at the time, but it's because I was young.
14:04And when you're young, it doesn't mean that it wasn't a positive experience.
14:08It's just that I couldn't see it.
14:09But it was incredible.
14:11It was positive and frustrating, to respond to your question.
14:15I didn't get a lot of playing time, but I was able to develop not only on the pitch, but also off the pitch.
14:29English football brought a lot to me, gave me a lot, helped me play at the level I'm playing now.
14:34And if I had the opportunity to do it again, I would.
14:39Thank you very much.