On Saturday, as part of the 25th day of Ligue 1 2024-2025, Paris Saint-Germain (1st) take on Rennes (11th) at Roazhon Park (kick-off 5pm, UTC+1). On the eve of the match, Paris coach Luis Enrique answered a number of questions at a press conference.
Luis Enrique: “We have to go there with the right mindset to win.
Stade Rennais recently changed coach. How do you rate Habib Beye?
They’ve had a very good run since he took over, with 4 wins and 1 defeat. They’ve got the chance to take it easier in the standings. It’s always difficult when there’s a change of coach to have a connection with the players, with the team, but I think they’re doing a very good job.
It’ll be tough for us, it’s always tough away from home. It’s an important stimulus to beat us. We have to go out there with the mindset to win. There’s no such thing as an easy game in a PSG shirt, you always have to win.
Luis Enrique “There’s no game on my mind other than tomorrow’s against Rennes.”
Any rotation tomorrow? What’s the priority, rest or game time?
The most important thing for me is not to give the Rennes coach any pointers.
Do you have a recipe for turning things around? How would you do it at Liverpool?
There’s no other game on my mind than tomorrow’s against Rennes.
Luis Enrique “It’s very easy to talk after the result, like playing the lottery.”
Beye is a young coach, but he knows Ligue 1 well. How do you analyze his team? Are there any outstanding playing principles? Is it a plus to go from consultant to coach?
I don’t know him personally. I wasn’t in this league when he was a player. They have a positive dynamic, they’re very aggressive defensively, they’re well placed. They’re motivated to beat us, they’ve taken a bit of a breather in the standings, so it’s a great situation for them.
Of course, we want to win, that’s our mentality. We want to play very well for this match and prepare for what’s to come, as always. It’s hard to analyze our opponents, as so many teams change against us.
He used to be a player, so the consulting aspect…I haven’t seen any journalist become a great coach. It’s very easy to talk after the result, like playing the lottery.
Luis Enrique “Playing every 3 days in different competitions is a reward for the players.”
What were your words after the defeat to Liverpool?
I don’t have anything to add to that. There was a lot of talk about Liverpool. Now I’m only interested in Rennes. We had a very short cycle, the shortest possible. We’ve had 2 days of training, which is mainly for recovery. I’m only interested in Rennes, the rest is history and we’re thinking about improving our performances.
A word about Doué’s progress at PSG?
Every adaptation is different. He played in different positions at Rennes and did very well, and he’s doing the same for us. All the adaptations have been very interesting for the team this season.
A PSG with a win-at-all-costs mentality, what work is being done to achieve that?
I think it reflects our idea of soccer. It strengthens the players and allows them to evolve. Playing every 3 days in different competitions is a reward for the players. It shows their potential.
It’s difficult to be a player for a very big club, they’re very exposed, there are qualities. That’s why it’s hard for players and coaches to stay with a club like this for many years.
Luis Enrique “It feels good in such a pessimistic world.”
Beye indicated that you are an inspiration to him?
There’s no better compliment for me, or for the players, to hear professionals say good things about us. It encourages us and motivates us to keep moving forward, to improve. It feels good in this pessimistic world. We’re delighted, thank you.
Kolo Muani praised you. Do you have any words for him?
I say a lot of good things about my players, it’s what I feel they pass on to me. But asking a player to talk about the coach is like asking what you think of your boss, it doesn’t make sense. I have good things to say about Kolo Muani, but there’s a particular difficulty at PSG. I have good things to say, as I have for other players I may not have helped enough.
