Antonio Conte, former Juventus and Italy coach, spoke to L’Equipe. In particular, he was asked to talk about this season’s Paris Saint-Germain. The Italian had plenty of positive things to say about PSG and coach Luis Enrique.
Conte “They’re an impressive team, and Luis Enrique is doing an incredible job.”
“What do you think of PSG this season ?
I think they really deserved their qualification against Liverpool (0-1, 1-0, 4-1 on penalties on March 5 and 11) on aggregate. They played really well in the first leg, attacking, but they missed some important chances.
And in the return… I know what it means to play at Anfield, in a match with so much at stake, and it’s not for everyone. Liverpool are a formidable team, winning the Premier League by a huge margin. You have to measure what PSG have achieved. They’re an impressive team, and Luis Enrique is doing an incredible job.
Conte “Luis Enrique doesn’t need my advice, he’s doing a great job.”
Does it take a coach who’s a little too demanding to never lose ?
He can’t be too easy-going (laughs). The coach is the team’s thermometer, he has to feel every drop in tension, every drop in motivation, he has to be able to find a way to wake everyone up and keep concentration at its peak. But I don’t think Luis Enrique needs my advice, he’s doing a great job.”
It’s always nice to see a great coach underline the quality of PSG and the work of coach Luis Enrique. He’s in a good position to know how difficult it is to build a great team ready to meet any challenge.
It hasn’t yet been a totally successful season for Paris, and there’s still a lot to achieve. But there are some interesting ingredients to believe in. Eliminating Liverpool despite an unsuccessful evening in the first leg is a strong signal. Let’s hope PSG can keep up the momentum and not let up. With Luis Enrique’s demands, it would be a real surprise to see the Parisian team forget its philosophy.
