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Didier Deschamps held a press conference (PSV.nl)

22 feb 2005 - Source: PSV.nl

This newsitem has been supplied by PSV.nl

Didier Deschamps held a press conference in the Eindhoven Philips Stadium on Monday night. AS Monaco defender Julien Rodriguez accompanied his coach. When the press conference was over, the Monegasques had a training session in the stadium.Rodriguez was asked what the impact is of the game PSV and AS Monaco played one and a half years ago. The defender did not particularly like to look back; he rather focused on Tuesday night’s clash. And his coach did not dwell too long on that game, either."Many of my players made their debuts on the European stage last season and eventually we even reached the final. Now is it an entirely different situation; there have been changes in both squads and the players have gained experience. Deschamps indicated that defender Squillaci will face a late fitness test on Tuesday morning. He has called up as many as 22 players. "I think all my players should make this trip. Some of them are not fully match-fit, but I want them all to be here anyway." Deschamps countered the question whether Javier Saviola is going to make the difference. "I hope so. He is an experienced player and we need him."The AS Monaco coach, who won a record 103 caps for his country, was more outspoken on the strength of the current PSV side. "They have Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink up front; he is a lethal striker. They have two speedy wingers and their midfielders Cocu, Van Bommel and Vogel are all great players. They try to play football, but do not hesitate to kick the ball away, depending on circumstances." When a French journalist also inquired after the strong points of PSV, Deschamps made a little joke. "I'd rather not tell you. There are too many Dutch people around right now!" Adick Koot, who was in the service of PSV for a long time (1984-1991) after which he played professional football in France for many years and who runs a business in Eindhoven these days, chaired the press conference.After the press conference AS Monaco trained in the stadium. Representatives of the media were allowed to watch only the first fifteen minutes of the training session. Then the gates were closed as Deschamps wanted to train behind closed doors.The UEFA Champions League tie between PSV and AS Monaco will be kicked off on Tuesday night at 20:45.