Michel Salgado, the 49-year-old former Spanish right-back (53 caps, 0 goals) and Real Madrid (1999-2009) legend from the Galacticos era, talks to AS about Real’s 4-0 defeat by PSG in Wednesday’s Club World Cup semi-final. He was full of admiration for the way Luis Enrique has his team playing, particularly following the departure of Kylian Mbappé last summer.
Michel Salgado: “Convincing a player like Dembélé to do this is what really distinguishes a good coach”
“What Luis Enrique has done is spectacular. Everyone was talking about Mbappé when he left, and he managed the change without ever criticizing him. He always said: ‘It would have been incredible to have the best player in the world’.
But they’ve adapted to another way of playing, another style, more collective, always putting the team above individuality. This pushes everyone to give their all, not only in attack, but also in defense. Dembélé presses as if he were the best defender in the world.
Convincing a player like Dembélé to do that is what really distinguishes a good coach. That much is clear. Transforming the most difficult players from an individual mentality to one that serves the collective. [We talk a lot about tactics, soccer, possession and transitions, subjects that have perhaps been less discussed in recent years”, as relayed by RMC Sport.
Indeed, it’s impossible not to recognize the quality of the Paris Saint-Germain 2024-2025 version, with potentially every possible trophy won. Far from the drama that some wanted to highlight following Kylian Mbappé’s departure, Luis Enrique has built a real team where the collective takes precedence over everything else.
We have to take advantage of what we’re going through, because soccer is made up of cycles, and a less successful season can happen next year. Especially with fatigue and decompression. Even if this squad, full of youth and quality, could also go from strength to strength.
In any case, Luis Enrique has proved himself to be an excellent coach, in terms of human, tactical and physical management. We know there’ll be criticism when the going gets tough. Let’s hope there’ll be some hindsight, without forgetting everything that’s been achieved.
