Di Maria has ‘work to be done’ for PSG – Emery

Angel Di Maria has received criticism in the French meida for his 'detached' attitude.

Paris Saint-Germain coach Unai Emery has admitted Angel Di Maria can do more for the French champions than he recent performances have suggested.

The Argentina international has come in for criticism lately after a string of ineffective displays, and L’Equipe on Monday reported the Ligue 1 giants’ leaders are growing concerned at his “detached” attitude.

Speaking with journalists ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League clash with Ludogorets Razgrad, which will decide whether PSG go through in top spot from Group A, Emery conceded Di Maria can do more for his team.

“He is an important player,” the Spaniard added. “He has also put in some good performances this season. We want to help him to rebuild his confidence but there is work to be done on that front.”

Emery will be hoping Di Maria and his players can put last Saturday’s 3-0 mauling in Montpellier behind them and beat Ludogorets to finish ahead of Arsenal in Group A but it is worried because “it is clear that this defeat hurt the team in terms of confidence.”

“We need to forget that match and focus on this next one, we need to start thinking about all the good things we achieved before that game.

“The team has been making progress, turning in good performances and collecting points. We need to be positive and work hard to prepare for this match.”

Despite the Montpellier loss, Emery pointed out that PSG’s Champions League objective remains unchanged and is still within reach. The Basque tactician reiterated, “Topping the group is still important, especially for our confidence.”

“When we started our campaign in this competition, the objective was to top the group and that has not changed,” said Emery. “We want to finish this group stage on top. We are not thinking about the other teams. We need to prepare for this match with confidence and be positive.”

Regarding squad news, the former Sevilla boss was unsure over Thiago Motta after the veteran Italian midfielder missed the defeat in Montpellier after picking up an injury in the 2-0 home win over Angers on Wednesday.

Emery emphasised it is “important to know how the players are feeling” when playing twice in the space of three days before he confirmed Javier Pastore is still out with a knee problem, while Adrien Rabiot remains sidelined by a thigh issue and Marco Verratti is suspended.

“The final training session will be important,” the 45-year-old said. “Pastore is not available, and neither is Rabiot. Verratti is suspended.

“As for Thiago Motta, we will see how he feels after the session. He had some calf pain after the match against Angers and was not 100 percent for the match against Montpellier.”