Areola seeks respect for side
Paris ( France), April 14: When Paris Saint-Germain host Monaco on Sunday seeking to seal the Ligue 1 title, Alphonse Areola will be living his dream, but the young ‘ keeper still faces challenges.
First, he has to keep out Monaco, who last season ended PSG’s run of four consecutive titles and this time sit second, 14 points behind with six rounds to play.
“Last year they took the title from us and that hurt us because this club is in the habit of winning the league every year,” the 25year old said in an interview.
“So it’s even more symbolic against them. We have the chance to bring the title back to Paris,” he added.
Last season a new coach and new players had come in and it was necessary to adapt,” he said. “This season
we have gelled.” He also wants outsiders to treat a French league title for PSG with respect.
“People are trivialising this title too much,” Areola said. “You have to be consistent and perform well over the entire season.”
LITTLE ANGEL Areola is a “child of the club.” His parents came to France from the Philippines and he was born and grew up in Paris, playing for the “Little Angels” youth
team on the Left Bank before joining PSG at the age of 13.
Areola went out on loan for three consecutive seasons at Lens, Bastia and Villarreal. He returned last season and was initially behind the German Kevin Trapp.
Areola took over and kept four clean sheets in eight games but then came a disastrous run when he let in 10 goals on 11 shots as PSG failed to win in three straight league games in December.
“I had no doubts, doubt is a big word and it’s for the weak, let’s say,” he said. “I continued to work. I did not let go. Some might have gone down, but I’m proud to say that I managed to come through it.”
This season Areola has become the regular starter but he is not an established star of the sort PSG covet. Atletico Madrid’s Jan Oblak, Milan’s teenage phenomenon Gianluigi Donnarumma and Chelsea’s Thibaut Courtois are among the many rumoured to be on their way to supplant Areola.
PSG’s spending means Areola is playing behind one of the most expensive lineups in football history after the club added Neymar, Dani Alves and Kylian Mbappe last summer. — AFP