On Friday, as part of the 31st day of Ligue 1 2024-2025, Paris Saint-Germain (1st) take on Nice (5th) at the Parc des Princes (kick-off 8:45pm, CET). On the eve of the match, Paris coach Luis Enrique answered a number of questions at a press conference.
Luis Enrique “It’s good that there are still records to break, it motivates us.”
A difficult preparation with the lack of stakes and before the LDC, what levers to activate?
It’s a special scenario. I think it’s the first time this has happened to us on the staff, to be champions with such a big lead. It’s very special. It’s good that there are still records to be broken, and that motivates us.
Are you happy with the level of the team? Do you think we’ll be stronger tomorrow?
Are you happy? I’m very happy! (smiles).
Luis Enrique: “Our qualities and flaws have brought us here.”
Arsenal drew against Crystal Palace, have you started looking at their performances? They scored from set-pieces, do you plan to work on that?
No. Because I’ve known Arsenal perfectly for a long time. I’ve been following this team for a long time and we’ve already played against them.
Then, our qualities and our faults have brought us here. There’s always room for improvement. If you want to focus on the negative, that’s your problem. But above all, we want to keep on winning and take titles, with our way of attacking and defending. No team is perfect.
Have you ever known what it’s like to be an early champion as a player? Did you prefer to play or rest?
That’s the theory of relativity. Everyone sees things in their own way. With a blanket, you can’t cover everything. So you have to choose. There could be injuries, fatigue. Everyone has their own point of view.
Luis Enrique “Vitinha is one of the best players in the world in his position.”
Vitinha in poor form lately, what’s your take?
No. Vitinha is one of the best players in the world in his position, without a doubt. That’s my opinion. I could be wrong, even if it doesn’t happen very often.
Luis Enrique “It’s something I advise all my players to do.”
You’ve made progress in French, and so have the players, so why was it important for it to be the first language?
I sincerely believe that it doesn’t matter what the language of the dressing room is. The dressing room represents the world, with many languages. The French also need to learn other languages. But this is France, and for me learning the language of the country is vital. That’s been my motivation from the start. I’ll speak it at conferences when I’ve mastered it a little more.
In Italy, a friend told me that learning the language gives you a new life, because you learn more about the culture. And it’s true. It’s something I advise all my players to do. It’s good to be multilingual.
Luis Enrique: “We’re arriving at a great time”.
How does the atmosphere differ from last season?
The team has grown a lot. It’s young. I think we’re coming in with more confidence. The difficult league phase has made us better. We’re having a strange time at the end of the championship, being champions already.
There’s less motivation, but there are still important things to do. We’re coming to a great moment. I hope and trust that we’ll see a great version of PSG in the Champions League. There’s also a great stage tomorrow.
Luis Enrique: “If someone can guarantee me the Champions League final against a defeat to Nice, I’ll take it.”
Is it good to keep the team under pressure with invincibility, or can it be wearing?
If I’m sincere, if someone can guarantee me the Champions League final against a defeat to Nice, I’ll take it. Titles are the main objective. Records are good for going down in history, but the most important thing is the trophy.
But we can’t guarantee qualification, so it’s good for our confidence and rhythm to play with this motivation.
What kind of match will it be against Nice?
It all depends on the result. I’m expecting an opponent who’s capable of pressing high, even if they could have a midfield or low block. But depending on the score, everything can change very quickly. The situation is constantly changing. We need to be prepared for strong pressure at the start and probably a low block afterwards.
Luis Enrique “There’s no better training than a match.”
Is playing against Nice, in the European race, good preparation for Arsenal?
We always try to take advantage of things in a match to prepare for what’s to come. It doesn’t matter who the opponent is. There’s no better training than a match to show that we can solve problems.
All the LDC semi-finalists have been in trouble this week. Where are you going to put the blanket?
As always, where I’m cold. The idea will be the same as on the first day. I’m convinced that you can win trophies by playing attacking football. That’s how I’ve always felt, and that’s what I’ll be doing for the rest of my career. Now is not the time to calculate, but to play a great match with our fans.
Luis Enrique “There’s the end of the season with all our objectives.”
Is defensive solidity an important springboard?
I think that when we break our away record without losing, which took more than 2 seasons, it shows what kind of drink the team is made of. Now we have to keep progressing, remain solid and competitive in every game. It’s all very tough. Then there’s the end of the season, with all our objectives. They’re both near and far, because our opponents also want to win.
