Paris Saint-Germain coach Luis Enrique spoke to UEFA a few hours before the draw for the 2025-2026 Champions League (this Thursday at 6 p.m CET.). He gave the opportunity to discuss last season’s turnaround in this competition thanks to a level of efficiency that was finally found. He also clearly outlined his objectives for the season.
Luis Enrique’s solution to inefficiency.
“Were you thinking about winning the Champions League after the defeat in Munich?”
I have to be honest, it was almost impossible to think about the final victory. We created a lot of chances, but couldn’t score. We approached the problem by asking ourselves, ‘Why not focus on something else? Why not look for the best-positioned player in the box?’ I think our statistics changed after that; the wins came automatically, and we regained our confidence.
A word about the final?
“It was in one of the most beautiful stadiums in Europe, a match everyone dreams of. I remember asking my players to be at 105%, not 120%, because that type of match ends up overwhelming you. In that final, everything went very well. We have a trait that I think defines us: we always continue to play the same way, whether we win or lose.
(…) We want even more. We want to continue growing as a team, to make our fans proud, and for this moment to be repeated.
Luis Enrique: “To repeat that feat this year, which would make us go down in history in a spectacular way.”
What is the goal now?
“The goal is first and foremost to improve as a team, both offensively and defensively. We can still identify phases of play to improve. In terms of titles, we want to be ready to win them all.” We all believe we can win them and repeat that feat this year, which would make us spectacularly historic. That particularly motivates us.”
While Luis Enrique never wanted to show concern in public, we can imagine that it was difficult at times to be confident about winning the Champions League last season. PSG flirted with the playoff spots, even briefly making it. Yet, they dominated. But efficiency was sorely lacking.
At least there was already a strong collective foundation, which the Parisian coach regularly emphasized. This makes sense, because it’s an essential factor for going far. It was also this confidence in the game that made the difference in difficult moments. Efficiency was still required, though. A factor often reduced to luck, when it’s far from being just that. And it’s also an essential element for winning.
PSG was able to change its finishing a little and gained confidence with each goal. This last point makes a big difference and is triggered… especially by goals. It’s a virtuous circle to be maintained individually and collectively. Coach Luis Enrique deserves credit for helping his players get on the right track.
This doesn’t guarantee winning every match, let alone every title. But PSG seems determined to continue, and we saw it in the collective intensity of the first matches, particularly when pressing. The Parisians made history last season, and the coach emphasizes that this is still the objective by winning for the second time in a row.
