Luis Enrique, 55, head coach of Paris Saint-Germain, reflected on his team’s mental approach before the UEFA Champions League final in an interview with UEFA’s website. The Spaniard explained how he sought to avoid emotional overload so that his players could face the occasion with calmness and clarity.
Luis Enrique: “I was worried two weeks before the match”
“I was worried two weeks before the match, when we played the French Cup final, ahead of the UEFA Champions League final. My staff and I had only one thing in mind: to approach the game in a relaxed state, so as not to be overwhelmed by the context or the stakes of the occasion, because we were surrounded — as you’d expect — by supporters wanting to encourage us and give us energy. When there’s too much of something, it’s a bad sign.”
Luis Enrique: “Special matches in which tension can overwhelm you”
“We already knew we were going to give more than 100%, and that’s not good. I remember telling the players: ‘We’re going to aim for 105%, not 120%, because these kinds of matches can end up inhibiting you.’”
“These are special matches in which the tension can overwhelm you, and I think in that regard the players were sensational in handling the pressure. The way the whole team approached this game was exceptional.”
Luis Enrique knows that finals are often won in the mind before they’re won on the pitch. The Spaniard didn’t just prepare his players physically; he anticipated what pressure could take away from them: clarity. At a club like Paris Saint-Germain, where every big occasion is under intense scrutiny and recent history is marked by mental collapses, this message carries real weight.
Aiming for 105%, not 120%: an apparent paradox, but in truth a psychological game plan. By controlling the excess of adrenaline, Luis Enrique enabled his players to approach the match as a controlled battle rather than a frantic sprint. Perhaps this, more than any tactical setup or physical preparation, is the real key to PSG’s success this season: learning to tame their emotions in order to finally master adversity.
