On Tuesday, Paris Saint-Germain faced AS Monaco in the first of their two-legged Champions League playoff tie and won 3-2. Following this first leg, Luis Enrique, the club’s coach, spoke to PSG TV to discuss his players’ performance.
Enrique: “I have to congratulate the players, both individually and collectively.”
“My first reaction is: what a struggle! It was a unique match. I have to say that in the last six matches here, this is only the second we’ve won. It’s been difficult, but I’d like to begin by praising our fans. They are incredible. When we were losing 2-0, all we could hear were our supporters, full of confidence and support for the team, and this victory is dedicated to them.
It was incredible, and we have a lot of ambition to continue improving.” This match was difficult because the first two times they overcame our pressure, they scored two goals. And that was hard to overcome, but I have to congratulate the players, both individually and collectively, because I believe we deserved this victory, but it was tough.
Enrique: “This year we have pressure, we like that pressure.”
“In football, there are many moments in a match where you can lose confidence, where you can have problems. Overcoming that isn’t easy. We did it in the first half, but we missed a penalty, which is even worse for our confidence. But competition is tough, it’s difficult to perform all the time.
You have to understand that we are a very young team, and there is pressure. Last year it was a different kind of pressure because nobody thought we were going to be champions.” This year we’re under pressure, we like that pressure, it’s not an excuse, but you have to understand that overcoming that pressure isn’t easy, but I’m happy.
An important but not very reassuring victory for PSG, who were caught cold by this Monaco team. Quickly falling behind 2-0, Luis Enrique’s men had to find calm and composure to stay in the game and, above all, find the resources to get back into it.
The premature exit of Ousmane Dembélé also dealt a blow to the team, but the introduction of Désiré Doué ultimately proved more than beneficial. Little by little, the Parisians were able to develop their game and equalize, before finally taking the lead. Even if this victory is important, it still highlights the weaknesses of this Parisian team.
Monaco is not the most in-form team at the moment and yet came very close to winning the first leg of this two-legged tie. We will need to be more than cautious in the return leg, in order to confirm the result and continue our journey in the Champions League.
