Ancelotti set for his first league game with Paris SG
PARIS - Agence France-Presse
Carlo Ancelotti will have his first Ligue 1 game at the Paris Saint-Germain helm this weekend. AFP photo
Carlo Ancelotti will take charge of his first league match with Paris Saint-Germain when the Ligue 1 leaders welcome Toulouse to the Parc des Princes on Jan. 14 as the French league resumes following its winter break.The Italian was installed as the new manager of PSG following Antoine Kombouare’s dismissal just before Christmas and was in the dugout for the capital club’s 2-1 victory over fifth division Locmine in the French Cup last week.
Midfielder Mathieu Bodmer admitted things have changed since the introduction of the former Chelsea, AC Milan and Juventus boss, saying: “The arrival of Carlo Ancelotti and his technical staff has brought a change in working methods.
“The fact that these professionals have come from foreign leagues has also given us a different vision of the game. You have to learn it to know it, the group is receptive and everything is going well at the moment. It’s up to us to adapt to this new technical team.”
Unbeaten in their last four league matches, PSG holds a three-point lead over surprise package Montpellier at the season’s midpoint and will be looking maintain its momentum with three points against Toulouse.
“It’s clear, and it’s the objective. The fans at the Parc (des Princes) are knowledgeable and demanding, but that’s normal because the club has very big ambitions this season,” said Bodmer. “It will be a complicated match. Toulouse are a very athletic team that has a lot of talented players.”
A 3-1 success in the reverse fixture in August helped kickstart PSG’s league campaign. “Away, we had a really good second half at their ground, which launched our season. I hope that we can do the same on Saturday in front of our own fans,” Bodmer added.
Meanwhile, PSG has completed the signing of Maxwell from Barcelona with left-back Siaka Tiene destined for the Africa Cup of Nations with the Ivory Coast.
