Julien Stéphan : « The players tried but were beaten by stronger opponents »

« I'm frustrated by the way we were thwarted in the first half. These were moves that we had identified. Steve Mandanda kept us in the game for a long time. We had to sequence the game as much as possible, limit the space and try to open up more afterwards. There was some space in the second half and we played more laxly. We had some interesting approaches, no big chances but situations that could have created danger. We took risks to try and come back. At 1-0 up against Paris, there's always hope. The players tried and tried but were beaten by stronger opponents.

We've lost two games in a row, so we're going to recover, talk to each other to analyse things properly and get ready for Monaco. It's going to be difficult against a very strong team with a lot of quality and talent. It's a big opponent again, a big challenge.

Steve Mandanda had a great game, but I'm not going to boast about picking him tonight. He confirmed that he's in his prime. He's been very effective, decisive and largely responsible for our turnaround over the last three months, because of the way he radiates, his attitude and his leadership. All the other players in the squad have also contributed to this turnaround. At his age, he's a top performer, and he's still one of the top goalkeepers in Ligue 1 today. »