Luis Enrique, coach of Paris Saint-Germain, was at a press conference this Wednesday as part of Media Day to discuss the 2025-2026 Champions League final on Saturday, May 30 against Arsenal.
Luis Enrique: “You have to know how to defend and adapt.”
Have you adapted your game more to the opponent this season in the Champions League?
The most important thing for us is to focus on ourselves, and much less on the opponent. That’s still a challenge. But it’s normal in this kind of match, in the best club competition, to adapt to the opponent. We saw in the matches against Bayern Munich, and against Arsenal when we played them, that they know how to have the ball. You have to know how to defend and adapt. I think we’ve improved our performance in this kind of match and we’re happy to reach the final.
Luis Enrique: “I’m much calmer. Joaquin is responsible for that.”
How would you describe your assistant Rafael Pol and what is the contribution of the psychologist Joaquin Valdes?
It takes a lot to give a truly honest definition. Rafael Pol is brilliant. I’ve known him for a long time; he started with me as a fitness coach. We’ve developed our vision of football over many years. He’s my right hand, in many aspects and in life.
Joaquin Valdes is the only one who’s been with me since day one. He’s from our rival city of Girona, 28 kilometers away. But that defines our ability to be together. He’s a very important person for me, for my development as a coach. My personality as a player is different from my personality as a coach during matches. I’m much calmer. Joaquin is responsible for that.
Luis Enrique: “We mustn’t forget that a player has to defend, a team has to defend.”
Do Dembélé’s efforts serve as examples? Does he enable other things?
It’s Ousmane’s mentality. I think we need to show players how he defends. He always defends, no matter the minute or the match. We often highlight the goals or assists of the attackers, but much less so the work done as a defender.
But we mustn’t forget that a player has to defend, a team has to defend. It’s not a bad thing; it’s something that needs to be done. Otherwise, it’s impossible to win. Dembélé constantly demonstrates his incredible quality with the ball, but also his ability to perform well without it.
Luis Enrique: “It’s a good time for the club and we want to continue in this direction.”
A second final that cements your relationship with Luis Campos and Nasser Al-Khelaïfi?
We’re very… How do you say it? I don’t even remember in Spanish (laughs). Very lucky! To play in another final after making history… I spoke to Rafael Pol about it before the semi-final against Bayern; it’s a great opportunity to be here again. I have the full support of the sporting director and the president, which is very difficult in professional football. Every time we’ve lost, we’ve had their support. That’s the key.
After that, there are many other things. The most important thing is the quality of the players. The quality of the players themselves, which is very important for us. When we want to sign a player, we want information about his ability to adapt, to do what we want. We’re happy, it’s a good moment for the club and we want to continue in this vein.
Luis Enrique: “Without the ball, they’re the best team in the world.”
Arsenal were crowned champions of England last night, does that change anything for the final?
Nobody knows, it’s impossible to know. They deserve to win the Premier League, they’ve had a very good year. We’ve already played against Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal, we know very well their ability to play with and without the ball. Without the ball, they’re the best team in the world, without a doubt. They also know how to score. It’s a great combination. It’s normal to see them in the final. It will be a very difficult final, with teams coming from different paths. It will be a great final.
Luis Enrique: “Both teams want to control the game. It’s very difficult to win the ball back against Arsenal.”
A nightmare with set pieces?
No (smiles). We have a small team, but one that knows how to defend. There are similar styles, even if they’re different. Both teams want to control the game. It’s very difficult to get the ball at Arsenal. Their team really embodies their desire to win. It’s going to be a great final.
You only need one more goal to equal the Champions League record, your Barça record of 45 as a player in 1999/2000?
Oh yes! I don’t dwell on the past too much, I look to the future. I want to do better. These are numbers that show the level we’re at. It’s the same if you analyze Arsenal’s stats. Their level is very high. We’re happy, we want to score goals and win. We know it will be difficult. In the end, there will be one team sad and others happy. We hope to be happy.
Luis Enrique: “The future of football is heading in this direction, with less control in order to surprise opponents.”
Do you feel you control every situation in the game?
I talked about this objective two years ago, but every year I have less control (smiles). Things are constantly changing. I control the important things. But there are many unimportant things that I don’t control. You have to change all the time, otherwise it’s very easy to be controlled. The future of football is heading in this direction, with less control in order to surprise opponents.
Are you particularly motivated to win a second time in a row, like Zidane? Is it a motivation to be remembered as this PSG is like the great teams of other eras?
I think football has given me much more than I give it. I’ve never sought to be among the best coaches. I want to be competitive, to be a better coach, to give better team talks. It’s always different; I’m older and the players are younger. They’re younger than my son! Every year, things have to change. This unpredictability is something I like. I want to be competitive all the time.
Luis Enrique: “We’re going to train on small details to attack and defend better.”
Do you encourage the players to maintain a normal life? How are you planning for the future?
We do things differently compared to others. We want the things the players need. Rest is very important to me, especially in the final part of the season. You have to be able to choose where you are. It’s important to have these moments. I want the players to be happy and lucky to come to the Campus, for us to be like a small family. Especially these next two weeks.
The preparation is a little different from last year because we had the French Cup final. We’re going to play a short friendly match. We’re going to do tactical training because we have the time, which is strange. We’re going to work on the small details to attack and defend better, if Arsenal lets us. We want to enjoy the Champions League final atmosphere in Budapest.
Luis Enrique: “to show everyone how fantastic football is.”
A Spanish duel on the bench: what are Arteta’s and Arsenal’s strengths? How can he cause you problems?
If you look at Arsenal’s statistics, it’s Arteta who does that. He’s a leader; he’s brought that mentality to Arsenal, a winning mentality. They’ve been improving for several years now. They’re very good on the ball; they know how to play.
We haven’t always had possession against them. Without the ball, they’re the best team in Europe. You can see it in the numbers. They won the Premier League. Last year, they weren’t in the Champions League final because we beat them. But they deserve credit. Arteta was able to learn a lot from Guardiola at City. He transmits competitiveness and a style of play. He always transmits energy to his team.
It was always difficult to play against them. You always want to keep possession, but it was very tough. They are comfortable defending deep or pressing high. It will be an exciting final. At Arsenal’s last final, I was there in Paris as a Barça supporter. It will be a very difficult match.
Our fans are fantastic every day, imagine them during a final. We hope to enjoy it and show a high level of performance to show everyone how fantastic football is. We have time to prepare for the match, to control what we can control.
