Mauricio Pochettino knows the importance of rotation within his squad as Paris Saint-Germain prepare to fight on three fronts in the closing weeks of the season.
PSG secured a place in the Coupe de France semi-finals in midweek thanks to a 5-0 win over Angers, striker Mauro Icardi scoring a hat-trick on his return following a month out with injury.
Marco Verratti is also available again after overcoming COVID-19, though Pochettino did not reveal if the Italian midfielder will make his first start for the club since March 21 in Saturday’s Ligue 1 trip to Metz.
As well as bidding to complete a league and cup double on the domestic front, PSG also have a Champions League semi-final coming up against Manchester City – they host the English side in the first leg on Wednesday.
“We need to manage the squad and the players well for every game so that we always send out a competitive team,” Pochettino told the media on Friday.
“We have been playing every three days for three and a half months now and if we want to achieve our goals, all the players will be important.
“They will all need to take part and perform at a high standard, especially if we want to win all three competitions that we are competing in.
“We are happy with the team and the players and the effort they are making. Our idea is to always improve and evolve.
“We want to be better in every game. We are going to enter the most important part of the season, and we want to win all the competitions in which we are involved.”
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— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) April 23, 2021
PSG sit a point behind leaders Lille in the table with five games to go as they chase a 10th Ligue 1 title.
They have won their previous nine league meetings against weekend opponents Metz, scoring 28 goals in the process at an average of 3.1 per game.
For Pochettino, making use of the resources he has available to him within the squad is crucial, considering the schedule during a campaign played out amid the backdrop of a health pandemic.
“It is not an advantage or a disadvantage. It is a case of adapting to the circumstances that we have never lived through in or life or in football,” he replied when asked about constantly changing the starting line-up.
“It is down to the reasons and the circumstances which have meant that with COVID-19, our team has not been consistent in terms of having the same team.
“That is just a reality but is has nothing to with transfers in the future. It is to do with the circumstances we have had to live through with coronavirus and injuries. It doesn’t just apply to us either, it goes for almost every club in the world.
“On top of that, we have been playing every three days, so rotation is needed to put out a competitive team and a fresh team at all times.”
Metz are winless in their previous six Ligue 1 games (D2 L4) while PSG have won their past five away on the spin, their best run on the road since November 2019-February 2020.
