McKellar extends Brumbies deal
PARIS ST GERMAIN’S 2-0 win against Manchester United at Old Trafford on Tuesday showed that the French champions may finally have found, under coach Thomas Tuchel, the heart and collective spirit they had been lacking in recent years.
Many predicted a defeat in the Champions League last-16 first leg by a resurgent United after forwards Neymar and Edinson Cavani were ruled out injured.
Instead, PSG rose to the challenge and stepped onto the field a compact side showing no fear – a sharp contrast to the team who blew a 4-0 lead over Barcelona to lose 6-1 at the same stage of the competition in 2017.
Marquinhos, who bossed the midfield alongside Marco Verratti, recalls a meeting with Tuchel which he believes was key to PSG’s performance.
The German coach took over from Unai Emery last year as the Qataribacked club look to shine on the continental stage after four consecutive eliminations in the quarter-finals followed by two successive last 16 exits.
“This meeting was very important,” the Brazilian, who usually plays centre back, said.
“The coach gave us the strategy. He started with the defensive aspect, underlining the qualities of the opponents’ attack and their speed on the break.
“He insisted on us not losing the ball too quickly after winning it back in midfield.”
PSG stayed compact throughout, with Julian Draxler often dropping deep to strengthen the midfield.
“Defensively we were solid. We showed that with the right mindset we could do great things,” captain Thiago Silva said.
Often criticised for missing the “club culture” key to success in Europe, PSG entered the tie with confidence despite lacking two players who between them who have scored 30 goals in Ligue 1 and seven times in the Champions League.
“It is not just thanks to the coach,” said Silva.
“It is also the whole staff who have been working to give us information on the other team. Everything the staff told us would happen on the pitch happened.”
Even without Neymar and Cavani. “They are world-class players but we remain a world-class team without them,” added Draxler.
The Ligue 1 leaders, who have already almost secured the domestic title, now have three weeks to gear up for the second leg in Paris, where they will look to avoid a slip-up similar to the Nou Camp debacle. | ACTING Brumbies coach Dan McKellar has been handed a two-year extension to his contract in a “vote of confidence” from the board despite the Super Rugby team missing the playoffs for the first time in six years under his watch.
The 42-year-old is a former assistant to Stephen Larkham and took over last year after the Wallabies great stepped aside to concentrate on his Australia role full-time.
McKellar led the Canberra-based team to 10th in the southern hemisphere competition last season with a record of seven wins and nine losses, excluding them from the postseason for the first time since 2012.
The former prop’s extension keeps him in charge until the end of the 2021 season.
The Brumbies said in a media release that McKellar had “overseen an impressive turnaround in performances that has seen confidence grown ahead of the forthcoming Super Rugby campaign.”
“I think it’s a vote of confidence, not just in myself but in the program in general, the assistant coaches and the high-performance staff,” said McKellar.
“It’s a sign that the board are happy with the direction the team is heading.”
Despite boasting a Test-strength forward pack and the strongest defence in the Australian conference last season, the Brumbies were derided by pundits as one of the stodgiest teams in Super Rugby and suffered from dwindling crowds.
A late flurry of four wins from their last five matches flattered a mostly disappointing season for the twice-champions.
“Dan has helped foster a positive environment for players to develop both on, and off, the field and I believe that it is important that we have stability and continuity within our coaching structure over the next couple of years,” Brumbies chief executive Phil Thomson said.
“We are looking forward to this season with enthusiasm and anticipation.”
The Brumbies kick off the Super Rugby season against the Melbourne Rebels in Canberra today. |