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Pochettino: PSG need to build a team - and it won't be easy
The arrival of several superstars, led by Lionel Messi, has left the Argentine wondering just how he will figure out how to balance his many talents
Mauricio Pochettino has admitted that Paris Saint-Germain "have to build a team" this season following the heavy influx of new faces at Parc des Princes across a lively summer transfer window.
The Argentine has presided over a flurry of fresh arrivals in the French capital following last term's dethronement as Ligue 1 champions by Lille, with Georginio Wijnaldum, Achraf Hakimi, Sergio Ramos and Gianluigi Donnarumma having led the new arrivals.
The capture of Lionel Messi earlier this month has dwarfed all other off-season business but with the introduction of such headline talent comes the balancing act of allowing them all to thrive - and Pochettino has acknowledged that the process "will take time" to perfect.
What has been said?
"We are at the start of the season, we can see how difficult it is for all the teams to win a game," the Argentine told his post-match press conference following his side's 4-2 victory over Brest on Friday.
"There are things to improve. In defence, we have to prevent the transition play which can hurt us. I'm very happy to take three points on difficult ground, against a team that has started the season well.
“We have a lot of names of players that shine, but we have to build a team, that's the challenge. It won't be easy, we have to find a balance between the talents that we have. It will take time."
Kimpembe admits Parisians must "adapt"
Despite the fact they have already notched up double figures in terms of goals scored across their opening three Ligue 1 wins this term, PSG have also conceded five times, a figure that no other side inside the top half of the table can match.
That Pochettino is yet to solve their defensive fragilities remains an issue, one further acknowledged by Presnel Kimpembe post-match, with the centre-back sporting the captain's armband in victory against Brest.
"We know that we were playing an away game against a team not easy to play," the France international told Amazon Prime Video. "The team is not yet complete, we still have links to create. There are new players, we have to adapt."
The bigger picture
Despite those concerns, PSG are yet to integrate a host of new faces, with Messi, Ramos and Donnarumma all still awaiting their debut for the club.
While Pochettino may face headaches in figuring out how to put them to good use within a single XI, their match-winning properties will still be key assets to the Parisians as they chase domestic and European glory.
Messi could well feature in the club's final game before the September international break, when PSG face Reims on August 29.
