Paris Saint-Germain beat Inter Milan 5-0 (video highlights PSG/Inter Milan) this Saturday at the Allianz Arena in the final of the Champions League 2024-2025. After the victory, Paris coach Luis Enrique spoke at a press conference.
Enrique “It was a great match that we totally controlled”.
Congratulations on your victory. Do you consider the 5-0 final win to be a masterpiece?
“There was so much tension during the match that I don’t know if we can define it that way. We went into the match very well, having managed the week and the training sessions very well. We found a state of mind that enabled us not to stay too far above the necessary level of motivation. The team was exceptional.
We put Inter under enormous pressure, with very high intensity. Dembélé pressed with incredible intensity, so they had no time to think or find their players. We scored at every opportunity. It was a great match that we totally controlled. But I need to watch the game again, with even more rigor.”
Enrique “The team reflects the PSG fans who never stop pressing”
A whole club, a whole city is drunk with happiness. But what does this victory mean to you, having already won it?
“The simple fact of being in the final is already special. Inter deserve a lot of credit and have had a great season. As for us, the day I went into the press conference, my French was worse than it is today, and I said that the objective I had as a coach was to win important trophies.
The only one missing was the Champions League, and we’re the first to get it. It shows that we want to be ambitious. It’s great to make people you don’t even know happy. The team reflects the PSG fans who never stop pressing and supporting us.”
What did you think of the banner in tribute to your late daughter? I imagine it was an emotional moment.
“Yes, very moving. This tifo and this detail, the fact that the fans thought of it, for me and my family it’s beautiful. But I don’t need to win a match or a Champions League to think about my daughter.
She’s always there and supports our family. I also feel she’s there when we lose. You always get the positive out of all the negative. I’m very happy with the fans’ gesture. But I always think of her, she’s always there.”
Enrique “now we’ve got it, we’re going to bring it back with us tomorrow.”
At what point did you realize that the team could score so much? And how did you prepare for the final, emotionally speaking?
“A coach always has to control his emotions, because otherwise you can’t handle the pressure, be a judge of what your team is doing. In that respect, my staff, myself and my players prepared for the final in a conscious and calm manner, so that all the excitement surrounding the team didn’t overwhelm us.
Because this Champions League was very important for the club and the city. But now we’ve got it, we’re going to take it home with us tomorrow. Now it’s a question of enjoying it. I’d also like to praise Inter Milan and their staff, who stood by and watched as we presented the trophy. They stayed to see us celebrate despite the pain, and that’s something to be congratulated on. That respect.”
Enrique “We want to finish the season in the best possible way”.
Where do you place the Club World Cup in your plans?
“I think it’s an incredible competition. Maybe not in its first edition, but it will be even more so in the future. But the fact that every four years we get to see the best teams in the world play, not with the national teams but with the clubs, will be a real benchmark, without a doubt. We want to finish the season in the best possible way and we’re in a position to win the fifth title of the season.”
How do you manage to create that pressure?
“The young players, like Neves, Pacho, Doué, have contributed enormously. They led us to this final. As a team, we demonstrated an incredible way of defending, an exceptional idea of defending.
Everyone’s talking about the Ballon d’Or. I’d give it to Ousmane Dembélé for the way he defended today. His pressing is a model. He was exceptional in the final. He deserves it for his goals, but above all for the way he defended. We’ve put in some very high-level performances. Now we’re going to celebrate.
Enrique: “When you’re 3-0 up, you tell yourself you’ve got to score the fourth goal”.
How did you feel after the fourth goal?
“The start of the game was really incredible. We managed to dominate and go ahead. That was the goal we had during every game we played. Then when you’re leading 3-0 you tell yourself you’ve got to put in the fourth because a final can swing at any moment. In that respect, the players were magnificent. We kept repeating that throughout the season. We’re very happy.”
