On Tuesday, Paris Saint-Germain take on Liverpool at Anfield in the second leg of the Champions League Round of 16 2024-2025 (0-1 first leg) (kick-off 9pm, UTC+1). On the eve of the match, Paris coach Luis Enrique answered a number of questions at a press conference.
Luis Enrique “That’s our objective, our motivation.”
Is it easy to convey your conviction that qualification is possible ?
We’ve had a normal week, analyzing the match, preparing for Rennes and then training for the game tomorrow. We talk about the match and what can happen. Whatever the result in the first leg, we’ve got the same preparation.
For the moment, we’re out. So we only have one option. But the preparation is the same, with the desire to win even if we won the first leg.
How do you prepare the players for the atmosphere ?
I don’t think any of the players are afraid of playing at Anfield tomorrow. We know it’s an important stadium, with a great history, and it’s a great source of individual and collective motivation. We want to put in a great performance. Why shouldn’t we? That’s our goal and our motivation.
Luis Enrique “You have to be ready, to be 100%, but not 105% because you can exaggerate.”
What do you insist on mentally ?
I think I’m repeating myself. In a match like this, managing emotions isn’t easy for anyone. It doesn’t matter how experienced you are. You have to be ready, you have to be 100%, but not 105%, because you can exaggerate. It’s vital to manage emotions carefully.
Arne Slot has said that Liverpool need to raise their level of intensity. Is that a key to tomorrow’s intensity ?
Our objective is clear: to try to be better than our opponents. That’s pretty common. All away games are complicated, even if we have good results in the league. You have to try to control things, because some of them are more complicated.
But we’re confident in our soccer and we know what we need to improve. We want to have possession and we’ll see how the match goes.
Luis Enrique “I’m optimistic about what my team can achieve.”
Is it possible to do more than in the first leg? Or do we have to do things differently ?
There’s always room for improvement, of course. These are different circumstances. We were very good in many areas, but tomorrow it should be more balanced.
That’s what’s expected, but I’m optimistic about what my team can achieve. It’s important to control the phases of the game, to attack and defend all together, to have possession to generate attacking phases.
Do you like these back-to-the-wall situations where you have to switch to the right side ?
No, I prefer to win the match (laughs). But during my career, when things have gone wrong, I’ve always seen things you have to deal with, and you have to face them. Without putting on the brakes. But, of course, I always prefer positive results.
Luis Enrique “we know that tomorrow there are 2 of the best teams in Europe and one will be eliminated.”
Why did you speak to your players on Wednesday ?
I almost never speak to the players after the match, because my staff and I feel that it’s not the right time. There’s no longer any influence on the match and the players aren’t necessarily there to listen.
But it’s true that after the game on Wednesday I did speak out, because I wanted to cheer up my players and tell them that they did everything they could to achieve a positive result. But I don’t think this exception will happen again.
Do you think there could be a surprise effect with a return match ?
I don’t think Arne Slot has any major doubts about our line-up, just as I don’t have any major doubts about Liverpool. People say what they want, but it’s not always the truth. But we know that tomorrow there are 2 of the best teams in Europe and one will be eliminated. There are different styles, but these are 2 of the best teams in Europe. As for the news, everyone has their own style.
Is this the most important match of the season?
No, I hope it’s for the opposition. That’s still my way of thinking. But it’s certain that one of the two teams will be eliminated tomorrow night. We don’t want it to be us, that’s the objective.
We’d have liked to win even if we’d won the first leg, that was the idea. We’ll want to win again tomorrow, right from the warm-up, we’ve got no choice – it’s the only way to qualify.
