Ousmane Dembélé, 28-year-old striker for Paris Saint-Germain and the French national team, spoke at length in an interview with France Football published this Saturday. In particular, he spoke at length about coach Luis Enrique, who arrives at PSG in 2023. The Parisian No.10 explains how the Spaniard is a great architect of this superb 2024-2025 season, including the Champions League won in style.
Dembélé: “That’s how Paris-Saint-Germain became European champions”.
“Strikers generally don’t like it, but we get the impression that it doesn’t bother you, on the contrary…
That’s true. With a coach like Luis Enrique, you know anyway that if you don’t defend, you’ll go to the bench and someone will take your place. As far as I’m concerned, a striker shouldn’t cheat, he has to make the effort all the time, whether it’s defensively or offensively, to help the team, and not just when you’re attacking. That’s how Paris-Saint-Germain became European champions: everyone defended and everyone attacked.
The coach came to talk to me at the start of the season. He told me I had to set an example for the younger players, that I was the team’s first defender. The message got through. From the start to the end of the season, I did everything I could to help the team win titles.
Dembélé “Whether you like it or not, he’s never going to give it up.”
It’s been said that the real star at PSG this season is Luis Enrique. Would you agree?
Yes, he’s the boss, he’s the one who decides, if you’re good you play, if you’re not good you don’t play. If you don’t make the effort, you go to the bench. He’s brought that mentality back to Paris-Saint-Germain.
He’s absolutely right, it’s thanks to that that he’s created this collective, that we’re so much stronger and that we all think of the group before ourselves. That’s the way to go if we want to win more major trophies.
There’s also the tactical aspect: he’s a great, great coach who won at Barcelona and who has ideas. Whether you like them or not, he’ll never give up.
Dembélé “He asks us not to be at 200%, but at 100%.”
How has he instilled such confidence in you this season, and especially before the big games?
He says that soccer isn’t war, it’s still a match, and that you have to control your emotions. He tells us not to give 200%, but 100%. You have to be motivated, but not over-motivated.
Before the final, he also told us to enjoy ourselves, because these are moments you may never experience again in your career, so you have to make the most of them. He always has a detached air, which sometimes gives the impression that he doesn’t care, but that’s completely untrue because he’s someone with ambition. (…) He’s focused on the collective and not on the stars.”
This is a fine message from Dembélé, who has established himself as a true leader at PSG. It’s all down to him, his reflection and evolution. But also, obviously, through a discussion with the Parisian coach and the message the latter has passed on to his group.
After years of Paris struggling to create a strong collective, often with its “stars” on the sidelines, the right formula has been found. Some people were confused and thought that there would be no more great players in the capital. But that’s far from the case, as there are plenty of them. Except that they all accept to run for others and play with the club’s success in mind.
Unfortunately, this is not an easy thing to achieve, whether you’re an amateur or a professional. It’s a real success story for the management, coach Luis Enrique and his staff. In fact, it’s even more than “accepting” to make the effort for others. The Parisians seem to love fighting for each other, with intense pressing and a determination to be strong collectively throughout the match.
It has to be said that the quality of the game and the results are a great motivator. The players enjoy themselves, and this helps them to overcome difficulties, avoid falling behind in their efforts, and therefore win. It’s a virtuous circle. We’ll have to manage to stay in it, even though we know that soccer can go very fast.
But Luis Enrique is not going to change his philosophy, and it would be sad to see the players forget everything that has made them so strong. We can’t forget the Spaniard’s essential approach to big games, which Dembélé underlined. You have to play your heart out, without overdoing it. Without adding pressure. You always have to take advantage. And that’s what we found on the pitch too.
