On Sunday, as part of the 23rd day of Ligue 1 2024-2025, Paris Saint-Germain (1st) take on Groupama Stadium (6th) at the Parc des Princes (kick-off 9.05pm, UTC+1). On the eve of the match, Paris coach Luis Enrique answered a number of questions at a press conference.
Enrique “Everyone has their interests, defend them and I have nothing else to say”.
This match comes in the midst of tensions between Nasser Al-Khelaïfi and John Textor, what do you think of these accusations and is it disrupting your squad ?
“I’ll just say something to start with, which is that every president defends his club in the best way possible. As a coach, I’m very proud that Nasser is our president and that he defends our club and our supporters. Everyone has their own interests, they defend them and I have nothing else to say, but I like our interests to be defended and that’s logical.”
Enrique: “This competition is starting to give us some interesting things”.
How did you react to the draw yesterday ?
“I didn’t see the paper drawn because I was having a cappuccino with my wife. Anyway, I’m delighted – both teams are top-class. It’s one of the best clashes we’ve seen in terms of results. It’s bound to be interesting. This competition is starting to give us some interesting things to see since the group phase, when we had to play against very high-level teams. Now we’ve seen teams like Real Madrid and Manchester City come up against each other, which could have been a final.”
Looking back, would you say that something clicked since that 4-2 win over Manchester City ?
“No, I don’t think there’s a moment in the season that triggers a switch – that’s not how it works. It’s not a switch. Since the start of the season, I’ve defended my team, even in games where the result wasn’t deserved. And right now, this team is simply following this evolution. It’s improving its statistics, which were already good at the start of the season.”
Enrique “not depending on just one or two players, is in our case very positive.”
How do you keep everyone under pressure ?
“That’s my role as a coach, right now since January we’ve been playing every 3-4 days so there are sometimes three games a week. And I’m convinced that to cope with this type of competition you need a team, a collective, and that’s what PSG transmits. From there, we try to manage the matches and the physical side of things. But it’s obvious that not depending on just one or two players, is in our case very positive.”
How do you integrate this idea of versatility into your players ?
“It’s relatively simpler than it might seem. Informing the players, the team, getting the message across to the team, explaining the spaces we need to occupy, the style we want to adopt. It’s all very basic, having the ball longer than the opponent, in the second half of the pitch and occupying space, always depending on team-mates. From that point on, we’re looking for players capable of playing in different positions.”
Enrique “in attack and defense we are two very similar teams”.
Along with Liverpool, you’re the teams that have scored the most goals this season. What are your chances of qualifying ? And in that sense, would you like to postpone the match against Lille to better prepare for it?
“As far as dates are concerned, it’s up to the sporting directorate to look for the best options. Of course, we need to be able to get to these matches with a bit more rest. But we’re prepared, we’re competitive. As for the percentage… I know we’ve played ten Champions League games and they’ve played eight. When you look at the statistics in attack and defense, we’re two very similar teams. We’re both in the highest percentage so obviously it’s going to be a very interesting double confrontation.”
Enrique “We hope he improves with the ball, that he’s able to find solutions”
How do you rate William Pacho’s performances ? And will he start against Lyon ?
“Information on the starting eleven will be given to the players first thing tomorrow. As far as Pacho is concerned, he’s been an incredible addition to our team. Not just because of his youth, his level of play or his defensive ability. He knows how to win duels without earning cards or making mistakes. But at the same time he has great potential with the ball, and he showed that in the last match. We’re hoping that he’ll improve with the ball, that he’ll be able to find solutions and vary them. He embodies and reflects what PSG stands for.”
Enrique “Bradley was already very important last year at the end of the season”.
Bradley Barcola has come back into his own this year, how do you judge this return to form ?
“The aim of recruiting players like Kvaratskhelia is to improve the team but also to push some of the other players to their limits. Everyone pushes their competitor and that’s the pattern we’ve managed to produce. Bradley was already very important last year at the end of the season, remembering that he was a very young player recruited from Lyon last season. He’s a player with a very promising future who, since the end of last season, has been a basic, fundamental player. Both in attack and defense. This season he’s been very consistent, and with young players you never know what’s going to happen. My aim is always for him to improve, to keep his stats up.”
How is Warren Zaïre-Emery’s injury progressing ?
“I don’t have any information on this subject. His convalescence is progressing well, he’s recovering, he’s coming in behind now. When he’s ready he’ll train with the group, but for the moment everything’s going well.”
How are you going to deal with the upcoming league, French Cup and Champions League fixtures ?
“With a lot of love, as usual.”
Enrique: “There’s no such thing as an easy game when we play away from home”.
What’s your take on Olympique Lyonnais ?
“Lyon are one of the best teams in the world, both individually and technically. They also play very well in Europe. Naturally, I’m expecting it to be a complicated game, because in addition to the change of coach, I’m convinced that they’re going to have the spark to improve. There are no easy matches when we play away from home. And against Lyon, in one of the most beautiful stadiums in France, there are several challenges we’ll be trying to meet. The first will be to take the ball away from them, because that’s how we’ll be able to hurt them the most. We need to be at a level to take them on.”
Enrique “In Désiré Doué’s case, he has enormous talent with the ball”.
Do technical players like Désiré Edoué have their place with coaches like you, who advocate very collective soccer ?
“For me, the players we’re looking for are always quality players. We’re always looking for technical quality. I like technical gestures, but that’s not the most important thing. I see quality with the ball, and that’s the most important thing. In Désiré Doué’s case, he has enormous ability with the ball and that’s what’s most important, especially for a 19-year-old player.”
