On Sunday, during Matchday 33 of the 2025-2026 Ligue 1 season, Paris Saint-Germain (1st) will face Brest (12th) at the Parc des Princes (kick-off at 9 pm, CET). On the eve of this match, PSG coach Luis Enrique answered several questions at a press conference.
Luis Enrique: “He’s in a constant improvement process.”
Doué is among the best in terms of his runs, especially defensively. Isn’t that something we talk about enough?
Normally, we have a lot of information about the players, statistics. But I often prefer what non-verbal communication is all about. It gives a lot of information. Then, we can look at the statistics. Doué is a very important player for us, very young, with many individual technical and physical qualities. We’re looking for the best version of each player. He’s in a constant improvement process. He’s very mature. We’re very happy with him.
Marquinhos and Dembélé play very little in Ligue 1, while Vitinha and Pacho play. Do they have special abilities?
It’s clear and easy to understand. We always try to do the best thing for the players individually. If you play less or more, it doesn’t mean you’re weak or strong. But there are conditions; you can be recovering from an injury, be tired from traveling. It’s the Tetris I always talk about. You have to manage the minutes, the fatigue, and the team’s level. Especially this year. We were able to control things very well, particularly regarding injuries.
Luis Enrique: “We play the way we think is best to win.”
Was it important that Safonov played out of bounds against Bayern?
What’s important, what all the fans want, is for the team to win. Not that we always play well. They like how we play. But after every match, we talk about details, about important things. But I won’t give information to the opponents. We play the way we think is best to win.
I’m very proud of the match against Bayern. We took a lot of shots, we tried to win the match. It’s a source of pride to see that mentality. We did what we thought was best to win. As for the details, whether it’s pretty for journalists or not, I’m not interested.
Luis Enrique: “We’re talking with the players about the possibility of doing that.”
There’s unanimous support for you at PSG, the fans want a statue, do you want to extend your contract in Paris even more?
From day one, the support from the president, the management, and the fans has been clear. Regardless of the results, we’ve had that support. If we were to do the same exercise with the press, it’s a different story (laughs). But I like this relationship, there’s no problem.
But the life of a coach is tough. You win, you’re loved. You lose three matches, you’re at the Eiffel Tower beating yourself up. What I love most is the ability, in your job, to make people dream. That’s something different. It’s difficult to achieve that in your profession. We’re talking with the players about the possibility of doing that.
Luis Enrique: “We have to show young players that they have to know how to lose.”
Where is Zaïre-Emery better: as a full-back or a midfielder?
He can play anywhere, it’s incredible. I love him so much as a player and as a person. He plays everywhere, all the time, even injured. What a level! No matter where he is, he’s important.
I’d like to make a brief explanation. It’s important for the match against Bayern, a top team. I saw Upamecano and Dembélé embracing afterward. It’s good to show that in football you have to know how to win and lose; it’s important in life.
It’s important to know how to lose, to play like that. You have to give 100% and accept the result. I want to emphasize that. Dembélé was happier, that’s clear. But I’m referring to the opposite. We have to show young players that they have to know how to lose.
Luis Enrique: “We’re happy with this little family.”
How do you work to create a family at PSG? What is your role?
As a coach, nothing. It depends on the quality of the players and their upbringing. They spend a lot of time together. You have some very special moments over many years. It’s very positive. It’s a real pleasure to experience this, to be part of this little family.
There are the players, the staff, the equipment managers, everyone at the club, the security team. We’re happy with this little family and we’re happy to come to training every day. It’s important for getting results.
Luis Enrique: “We need to see how many minutes each player needs.”
A word on the injuries? Could any of the academy players be called up to the squad?
There will be academy players to help the team. I hope no one will be criticized like we saw with Pierre (Mounguengue). It’s disastrous that this is still happening. We’ve talked with the team to be ready. There are no serious problems with the injured players from a medical standpoint. But we had to overcome a very high level of intensity.
Freshness will be crucial this week. How do we manage the run of matches?
We’ll see the result tomorrow. We want to win; we need the three points. After that, we’ll see. To reach the Champions League final in good shape, we need playing time. But there are also risks. We have to take all of that into account. It will be like playing Tetris again. We need to see how many minutes each player needs. The schedule allows us to do that. We’re happy it’s this way.
Is PSG’s renewed efficiency the result of hard work?
We do our usual work, but when you see the ability of all our players to finish chances, you can see their individual qualities. Kvara and Dembélé have been incredible, as have Doué, Barcola, and Mayulu. There’s the training this season, but also all the work we do every year. We try to present them with situations similar to those in matches. But it’s primarily about individual ability.
Luis Enrique: “There will be two major motivations tomorrow.”
Brest lost 4-0 to Paris FC. How will your team approach this match given the need for recovery? The emotional burden is significant.
When we talk about a Champions League match, we talk about the need for physical preparation. The most important thing is to be 100% mentally focused. We mustn’t be preoccupied with any physical problems or anything else. There will be two main motivations tomorrow. It’s the last match at the Parc des Princes this season, and we want to finish in the best possible way. We can practically clinch the title if we win.
There’s also the motivation of playing against Brest, who have nothing to gain or lose. They’re eager to play at the Parc des Princes, in a different kind of stadium. Playing in Paris is always special. It’s a particular motivation for them. We have enough motivation to get the best performance from our players.
