Paris Saint-Germain won 2-1 (3-1 on aggregate) against Arsenal (PSG/Arsenal video highlightsl) this Wednesday at the Parc des Princes as part of the return semi-finals of the Champions League 2024-2025 (final on May 31). After the victory, Paris coach Luis Enrique spoke at a press conference.
Enrique: “Arsenal were very good with and without the ball”.
What do you think made the difference tonight?
“In terms of passion and intensity, the match didn’t disappoint. Arsenal came to win they put in a very good first half pulling the game back to their strengths and we had to play the game we didn’t want to play.
But that’s soccer and you have to adapt to that. We suffered. Arsenal were very good with and without the ball, and that caused us a lot of problems. But we held on and the second half was more competitive.”
Enrique “The statistics showed that we were one of the best teams in Europe”.
There’s been a lot of criticism of the start to the Champions League campaign, what has proved to you on a daily basis that this team is capable of going all the way?
“The competition is long and of course what commands first are the results. We deserved another 9 points in the Champions League championship phase. But with such a complicated group we’ve grown, we’ve improved by facing such strong opponents.
We were often outside the 24 qualifiers, which was very unfair. The statistics showed that we were one of the best teams in Europe when it came to creating chances. When the efficiency returned to its normal level, we showed that we deserved to go to the final.”
Enrique “Tonight we made a lot of people who love PSG happy.”
What does it mean to land this final only at the end of your second season?
“There’s no logic in soccer. I think the first thing I said to you was that my aim was to make history, to be the first to win the Champions League. I feel very good about this project because I have everything I want with Luis Campos and the President.
That’s because I can plan and carry out whatever I think is best at the mercato, so as to have the best possible team. And I think it’s also the perfect time to thank the fans who have supported us every day, regardless of the results. We’ve made a lot of people who love PSG happy tonight.”
Did this goal of winning the Champions League come sooner than expected?
“No, it wasn’t a lie. Everyone wants to win the Champions League, but only one can. There’s still one stage to go. There are two finals left. We think the club and the fans deserve it. If not, we’ll try every year, that’s the objective.”
Enrique “It was the game where we suffered the most, but we deserved to go to the final.”
Mikel Arteta said he deserved the final more than PSG, what do you think?
“I don’t agree at all. Mikel is a friend, but no I don’t agree. I think Arsenal played intelligently and they managed to play the way they wanted to, but we scored more goals than them, which is the most important thing in soccer.
But Arsenal played very well. It was the match where we suffered the most, but we deserved to go to the final. We scored more goals. And we were very good in the first leg. We could have scored more late on.”
Enrique “We’ve got two finals left and that’s what we’re dreaming of.”
What do you think of Inter Milan, your opponents in the final?
“I know this team. I haven’t forgotten that this is their second final in three years. That means this is a team that has made very few changes since the last final. The same coach, the same mentality, a very strong mentality, they’re also very strong physically and have very good set-piece qualities.
The team hasn’t changed much, it’s more experienced, not in terms of the team, but in terms of the club. They’ve won 3 Champions Leagues. We’ve still got two finals to go, and that’s what we’re dreaming of. We’ll go into these finals with the same mentality as always.”
