On Saturday, as part of Matchday 30 of Ligue 1 2024-2025, Paris Saint-Germain (1st) take on Le Havre (16th) at the Parc des Princes (kick-off 5pm, CET). On the eve of the match, Paris coach Luis Enrique answered a number of questions at a press conference.
Luis Enrique “I liked the attitude of my players”.
How do you explain the start of the second half against Aston Villa?
In general, I liked the whole match. It’s a Champions League qualifier, and that’s what we expected. Having analysed the game in depth, I think we played better than we thought we would. But there are the influences of emotions and the result.
There’s always room for improvement. But if I analyze the game coldly, without being influenced by emotions or the result, I saw a very courageous team at Villa Park. I liked the attitude of my players, the way they behaved. We made mistakes, but that happens in soccer. There’s still room for improvement, no doubt. But there are positives.
It wouldn’t be fair to think that we’re always going to crush our opponents or that we’re favourites. Nobody at PSG thinks that. We’re in the 4 semi-finals because we deserve to be. We were there last year too. I saw a lot of positive things, even if there were 10 difficult minutes at the start of the second half.
Luis Enrique “We’re not invincible, but we never give in.”
Will PSG be even stronger next season?
(laughs) I honestly don’t know. I wasn’t so sure last year, but it was positive to make that clear. It’s getting across. You have to convince the players and the fans. If we don’t hesitate, they won’t either. I still don’t know what we’re going to win this season, as there are still 3 titles to play for, including the Club World Cup. I’ll be able to tell you then.
Are you working on the mental aspect so as to know how to react to difficulties?
No, we want to be ready for whatever happens during the season. The positive things are easy to deal with, the negative things are harder. But the team has managed to do that all season long.
I liked the way we reacted after the difficult moment in the second half, when we had chances to regain the lead. We want to have the ball as much as possible, otherwise our opponents do things very well. We’re not invincible, but we never give in. The fans understand that.
Luis Enrique: “We’re in the semi-finals against one of the best teams in the world”.
Why no postponement of the Strasbourg match? Is it to guarantee rhythm?
There’s always a slightly different reading, players with different profiles. Some need more games. There’s no single tactic that works for everyone. You have to adapt. Our group knows how to be competitive in all competitions. That’s an advantage for the matches to come. I’m confident in my team, whatever players I choose.
Is it an advantage to have played English clubs before Arsenal?
No, nor a disadvantage. There can be a common pattern in English teams. We played several English teams, including Arsenal at the start of the season. We know who Arsenal knocked out, but we’re in the semi-finals against one of the best teams. They’ve made good progress with Mikel Arteta.
Luis Enrique: “Our aim is to make history”.
Have you fulfilled your objectives when you arrived at PSG?
No, we haven’t reached our objective yet. Since we arrived, our aim has been to make history. To do that, we have to win everything, including the trophy you all know. We’re going to give it our all to be the first to do it in Paris.
The most important thing is to get there, and to give it everything we’ve got. The team is moving forward relentlessly, whether the results are good or not.
Luis Enrique “There are plenty of things that change with a change.”
Only one change against Aston Villa, why didn’t Warren Zaïre-Emery play?
Every match needs its solution. There are a lot of things you can put in place. We usually make changes around the 60th or 70th minute. But in key matches, my staff and I have to be absolutely sure that the change is for the better.
There are a lot of things that change with a change, different roles on the pitch. From the 65th minute onwards, I liked the team and we had chances, we had to score, whereas I trusted those on the pitch.
They knew exactly what to do. If we’d gone into extra time, I’d have made the changes. It’s an unusual situation for me. But maybe we avoided some mistakes. Maybe it would have been better with the changes. But you have to be convinced of what you’re doing.
Luis Enrique: “You have to play at the highest level at all times”.
How are you preparing for Le Havre and the rest of Ligue 1?
We’re preparing as usual. We have the chance to break a record. That’s a great motivation. We’re already champions, so we’ve achieved that goal. But I tell my players that if you want to play for PSG for several years, then you have to play at the highest level at all times.
Le Havre will be highly motivated, as they have a lot at stake. But the team has to be as competitive as possible. That’s what motivates us to be ready for what’s to come. It will undoubtedly be a complicated match in terms of motivation.
Luis Enrique “Football is very fast, everything can change quickly. That’s one of its charms.”
Do you have to suffer to be competitive in soccer?
Going through difficult times doesn’t mean you stop playing; there’s an opponent too. At some point in the semi-finals, a team will undoubtedly be eliminated and will have to do everything in its power to qualify. Soccer is a fast-moving game, and everything can change very quickly. That’s one of its charms.
We saw it yesterday with Manchester United against Lyon, it was madness. That’s soccer, it’s impossible to manage these moments. It’s all about growing up. That’s soccer.
How do you manage players who have played little or no Champions League football, so that they can continue to perform well in the future?
That’s a very good question. I’ve been the most criticized coach in Europe, because I’ve done a lot of rotation. That’s true of all my teams. And there’s a match where I don’t, and I’m criticized. I’m a coach who trusts a lot of players. You need as many players ready to start as possible. You need quality minutes.
If they haven’t played in a match, it doesn’t mean I don’t trust them. I can have doubts about things, and I only act when I’m sure.
Luis Enrique “There were two very strong teams.”
Is Paris mentally stronger than Lyon?
No, that’s a typical journalist’s question. If you win, you’re mentally strong and if you lose, you’re weak. But that has nothing to do with it. Lyon came back when all seemed lost and turned the situation around with 10 men.
That’s superb mentally. After that, they took the goals in a numerical disadvantage, with a defender playing in their box, that’s not mental. There were two very strong teams.
