"He deserves respect" - Mauricio Pochettino comments on PSG fans booing defender during Lorient win
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) manager Mauricio Pochettino believes the club's fans weren't directing their frustration at Sergio Ramos during their match against FC Lorient.
Ramos was seemingly booed by a section of Les Parisiens fans after stepping on to the pitch against Lorient last night (April 3) at the Parc des Princes. The Spaniard has endured an injury-riddled debut campaign in Paris since arriving on a free transfer from Real Madrid last summer.
The match against Lorient was only Ramos' sixth appearance across all competitions this season. PSG have just eight more matches left this season, having already exited the Coupe de France and UEFA Champions League.
Pochettino Reacts to the Boos Ramos Received During PSG’s Ligue 1 Home Fixture vs. Lorient psgtalk.com/2022/04/pochet…
Speaking after the match to L'Equipe, Pochettino acknowledged the fans' anger with the club's Champions League elimination against Real Madrid last month. The Argentine believes that was the reason for their frustration and that their ire was not specifically directed at Ramos, saying (as quoted by PSGTalk):
“We are all affected. I think it’s the frustration of the fans for the result, I don’t think it’s directed against him, he’s a great champion, he deserves respect like all the players in Paris Saint Germain.”
PSG run riot to record easy win against Lorient
PSG thumped Lorient 5-1 at home last night. Their star trio of Lionel Messi, Neymar Jr. and Kylian Mbappe finally fired in unison, with all three players getting on the scoresheet. It was the first such instance in 15 matches the trio have played together.
Neymar opened the scoring after just 12 minutes before Mbappe, who assisted the first goal, scored in the 28th minute. Lorient then cut the deficit in half through Terem Moffi 11 minutes after half-time to get themselves back into the match.
However, Mbappe stepped up to score again in the 67th minute before setting up Messi in the 73rd minute. The Frenchman was involved once again towards the end of the match, assisting Neymar in the final minute of regulation time to seal the win.
Mbappé, Neymar and Messi have 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 all scored in the same match for PSG 🎆 https://t.co/RhjVOX27ny
With the win, Pochettino's side have established a 12-point advantage at the top of the Ligue 1 standings after 30 matches. They are firm favorites to reclaim the title with just eight games left to play.