Paris Saint-Germain coach Laurent Blanc remained optimistic even as he admitted that his side faces an uphill battle ahead of their Champions League clash against Barcelona on Tuesday.
PSG have drawn five of their eight league games this season in Ligue 1, and again had to settle for a share of the spoils at Ajax in the opening game of the Champions League -- and critics are already saying that the manager's days may be numbered.
But despite the gloomy atmosphere around this meeting with Barcelona, and despite the absence of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Blanc was clearly reinvigorated on Monday in his news conference.
"It is not easy to give the confidence back to the players but we can turn our season with a great performance against Barcelona," said Blanc. "We can only do it by playing our football though. I know we will be back to our best of last season and it will only come by playing."
Even the massive blow of not having Zlatan Ibrahimovic (heel) fit for this game, didn't seem to flatten his buoyant mood.
"Of course, we are better with him than without him. So we will have to adapt," said Blanc.
With or without Ibrahimovic, facing Barcelona is always special for the former France head coach. First because he is a former Blaugrana himself.
His spell at the Nou Camp didn't last long, just the one season (1996-1997) with Luis Enrique and Pep Guardiola, amongst others, as his teammates, but it was enough to leave a lasting impression on him.
"I am proud to have worn this shirt. Barcelona has always been one of my favourite clubs because of their philosophy. I like them a lot. It is always a pleasure to watch them play and to face them," he added.
And secondly because, for Blanc, PSG vs. Barcelona is the student vs. the teacher.
"We will face our masters on Tuesday," he said. "For me, they are the example to follow. Their philosophy has always influenced me a lot, but they have had their philosophy for 30 or 40 years. It is a wonderful game to play, for the players and the managers."
Considering this premise, there is just one way PSG can beat Barcelona on Tuesday, according to Blanc.
"If we keep our philosophy, which is the same as theirs, we will have a chance to win. We will also have to be aggressive, especially too when we lose the ball, and collectively we will have to be at the top of our game," said the PSG boss.
Blanc himself admitted that trying to beat Barca at their own game of possession and movement was risky. But it is the only way he has found.
"I agree with you, it is risky," he added. "But that's our way of playing. To beat them, it could only be by playing like we usually do. We are at home as well I could try to put twelve players in front of goal but that's not what I like and that's not what the fans want to see either. We have the ambition to put on a great performance. If we lose by not trying to play, everybody will say: 'you should have tried.' So to win, we will play."
