Paris Saint-Germain drew 1-1 against Bayern Munich and qualified (5-6 on aggregate) this Wednesday at the Allianz Arena for the second leg of their 2025-2026 Champions League semi-final (final on May 30 against Arsenal). Following this qualification, PSG coach Luis Enrique spoke at a press conference.
Luis Enrique: “We showed what kind of team we are.”
What are your feelings after qualifying?
“In my opinion, it’s a moment to enjoy. It was a very high-level match. Both teams improved their defending. We started very positively. After scoring, we were calmer than usual. We’re not used to defending, but we showed what kind of team we are. This shows our level, the level of the players, and the level of our supporters.”
Is this the strongest team you’ve coached in your career?
“It’s hard to say. For the last three years, this has been the strongest team in my opinion. They are quality players, very difficult for the opposition to handle and for us to defend against. I remind you that we haven’t yet been able to field the same starting lineup as in the Champions League final. It’s a shame, but at the same time, it shows what kind of team we are and the players we have.”
Luis Enrique: “It’s a real pleasure to have players of this caliber.”
Is this a victory of mental strength?
“It’s important to emphasize this. For the last three years, we’ve been ready for any type of match. Getting carried away isn’t the best thing. You mustn’t go over 100%; it’s very dangerous. It’s a real pleasure to have players of this caliber.”
Do you think you can retain your European title?
“We’ve been aiming for that since the beginning. After the league phase, I told you I hadn’t seen a better team than us. At the time, nobody believed me. Bayern Munich is on our level, at our level. They’ve shown that this season. Arsenal is fighting in every competition. But I have so much faith in my team that I want us to value it.”
Luis Enrique: “We like to play good football, but we also like to fight.”
Is the team more mature than last season?
“That’s difficult to say. That’s a question for you journalists. You like to compare. I think the fans know that the team is loyal and reliable. If we have to defend deep, we can do it. We don’t like to do it, we didn’t choose the players for that, but it shows that we can prepare for any challenge.” “We like to play good football, but we also like a good fight.”
Luis Enrique: “We started wanting to win.”
In what area can you still improve?
“We’ve improved a lot defensively. We were very good defensively. We won more duels than in the first match. We didn’t just think about defending either. We started wanting to win. That gave us more composure.”
