Paris Saint-Germain beat Toulouse 3-0 this Friday at the Parc des Princes as part of Matchday 12 of Ligue 1 2024-2025. After the match, Paris coach Luis Enrique (54) spoke at a press conference. The Spaniard spoke of his team’s performance, as well as Tuesday’s Champions League clash with Bayern Munich.
Luis Enrique “When a midfielder scores it’s something important to highlight.”
What did you think of João Neves’ performance and debut?
“Matches after international breaks and just before Champions League matches are always very difficult. Tonight we were up to the task of taking on this Toulouse team. João Neves played in the first half in a more defensive position, which changed a little in the second half. He played really well. When a midfielder scores, it’s something important to underline. I was very happy, but I’m even more satisfied with his marking and pressing in the second half.”
Luis Enrique “In terms of statistics, in terms of chances created, we’re exceptional”.
How do you explain this lack of realism between Ligue 1 and the Champions League?
“They’re totally different competitions. I think our performances in Ligue 1 reflect our qualities, whereas in the Champions League we’re far from our real level. It’s not logical. But a competition like the Champions League is short, with few matches.
You’re not rewarded for your consistency, but for your current results. In terms of statistics, in terms of chances created, we’re exceptional. But we’re going to confirm that, because our lack of realism is taking us a long way from that level. We’re going to progress to this level, when? I don’t know.”
Most of tonight’s players will be starting against Bayern Munich on Tuesday. Are you worried?
“You have to go to Cirque du Soleil to see something incredible. A lot of players who haven’t played much have done very well against a team that concedes very few goals. I think they’re second behind us. We were up to the task right from the start. We deserved the win by being brilliant, and that’s what we wanted.”
Hakimi was your captain today, can you confirm that he will confirm with PSG?
“Until the club announces a player’s extension there’s no certainty and nothing to comment on.”
Luis Enrique “We won against this team, achieving all our objectives”.
After the first goal there’s a long sequence without a single chance, does that bother you or do you consider it normal with regard to your tactical choice?
“There was a period when we were leading 1-0 when we made a lot of mistakes. And if you allow the opposition to get close to your goal and create shooting opportunities, you’re bound to be close to 1-1. We were lucky to score through Lucas Beraldo, but the game was tight right up to the last minute.
Am I happy or not? Sometimes they came close to shooting and scoring. Toulouse couldn’t do it tonight, that’s a fact. You also have to look at the circumstances of the match and the objective of giving minutes to players who weren’t able to play much.
And at the same time, to give a rest to the other players who played a lot of minutes. We won against this team and achieved all our objectives. Obviously, there’s always a desire to improve, but who plays 38 games or 60 games a season brilliantly? Nobody.”
Luis Enrique “It’s important to look ahead to the Champions League having won”.
What gives you confidence for tonight’s match against Bayern Munich?
“This match has nothing to do with what’s going to happen in Munich. So it’s impossible to compare the two games. They also won 3-0 tonight. We just have to be confident. It’s important to look forward to the Champions League with a win. It’s positive, but not essential.”
Are you satisfied with Milan Skriniar’s performance?
“He played very well tonight. He contributed well to the defensive solidity, he showed his ability to build the game. He showed his professionalism, always ready to play. He’s a top-class player.”
Was Safonov’s starting role also a tactical question this evening?
“Yes.”
Can Safonov shake up the hierarchy?
“Perhaps. Maybe yes, maybe no.”
Luis Enrique: “Our results in the Champions League don’t reflect our quality or our level of play”.
Isn’t the most important thing for you to work on the psychological aspects before facing Bayern Munich rather than tactics?
“They’re no more difficult to understand. Champions League matches are always at a higher level. In Ligue 1, the best team, the one with the most consistency is always rewarded. But in the Champions League, there are 8 matches in which you have to try to pick up as many points as possible.
We don’t know how many points we need, these are games of the moment. The team is normally at its best in March for the knockout matches. Consistency has nothing to do with it: you can fail to win all your group-stage matches and still finish European champion.
I’ll say it again, but our results in the Champions League don’t reflect our quality or our level of play. After reviewing our matches, I’m convinced of that. There’s no doubt that we need to improve our finishing.
But we’re the team with the most capacity to score a lot of goals, so we’ll see if we’re capable of doing that.”
