On Saturday, during matchday 6 of the 2025-2026 Ligue 1 season, Paris Saint-Germain (2nd) will face Auxerre (10th) at the Parc des Princes (kick-off at 9:05 PM, CET). On the eve of this match, Paris Saint-Germain coach Luis Enrique answered several questions at his press conference.
Luis Enrique: “It’s a mentality that I want to instill in my players and my supporters. Calm, tranquility.”
How do you explain the string of injuries?
It’s football, it’s competition, it’s normal. We have to adapt to this situation. We have to prepare to know how to manage what happens on the pitch. I’m not worried. It’s football.
This season, have you anticipated another long and demanding season? Compared to last year, are the players more prone to injuries?
No, it’s the same as last year. I know journalists; you’re worried about this season all the time. When a team loses, it’s a physical issue. When it wins, it’s incredible mental preparation. But it’s nothing, that’s all. There are bumps and bruises, muscle injuries, it’s normal.
We try to anticipate everything that we think could happen, but I’m not a fortune teller. I try to be before the match, but I don’t know where a player will get injured. I’m not worried at all.
It’s a mentality that I want to instill in my players and my supporters. Calm, tranquility. We have academy players who can play. Everything is fine. Everything is planned with the club. We will make mistakes. We have succeeded much more than we have failed, but we will make mistakes.
Luis Enrique: “It’s not easy to sign a player at PSG. It’s not like going to the store.”
Has the team moved on from the defeat against Marseille? Do you expect a reaction?
What I can say about the Classico, after analyzing the game without letting my emotions influence my judgment, is that I think we played a very good match and we didn’t deserve to lose. We created enough chances to score and at least draw. But we have to accept the result. Some things happened at the end of the match, and there are people who can look into it to see if it was normal or not.
Do you regret not having more reinforcements available due to injuries? Do you expect more from the substitutes?
No. No. It’s not easy to sign a player for PSG. It’s not like going to the supermarket. You have to pay attention to everything, to the players. We are calm. We are ready to analyze everything and understand that it’s not easy to find players who fit our style. I don’t want to change anything for now. Maybe in a month, I’ll change my mind.
Auxerre has received 3 red cards this season; are you worried about a tough, physical game?
There isn’t any team in the world that plays like us, with this ability—maybe Barcelona—to always try to play. But there are duels, there is physical contact. So, there will be cards. But if there are two teams that try to play regardless of whether they get a card or not, it’s PSG and Barcelona.
Luis Enrique: “Have you ever seen anything like that before? Never, hats off!”
Dembélé’s Ballon d’Or, your title as best coach. What does that mean for PSG?
It means a lot. We are also the best team in the world, that’s fantastic. That’s the mentality we have. Together, we dominated last season. We are happy with that. Seeing Ousmane Dembélé at his level, the way he plays, the way he performs, is very impressive.
Everyone is very happy. It was an almost perfect Monday, obviously not the match result. We see the progress of the team. What we showed, with the fans, after the Ballon d’Or, was exceptional. I saw Dembélé giving the Ballon d’Or to the fans. Have you ever seen that before? Never, hats off!
The importance of your players’ versatility?
Last year, we talked a lot about this. It’s a bit what sets us apart from other teams, because we really have a lot of players who can play in different positions and do it well. It’s important for us, facing the situations we encounter. Having these players allows us to change things without changing the players on the pitch.
Luis Enrique: “He felt some pain. Nothing serious, but we need to be careful.”
Marquinhos’ injury? When did it happen?
It happened during the last action of the match against Marseille. He felt some pain. Nothing serious, but we need to be careful. It’s a shame for us, he’s our captain. It’s always a shame when there’s an injury. But we are ready.
How are you preparing for the match against Auxerre?
We were able to train as usual. As with all matches, we pay attention to the opponent, their characteristics, but we try to improve what we can, regardless of the opponent. There are important aspects. This week, we were able to work on them. Luis Enrique: “We have to accept it. But I think we will improve tomorrow and against Barça.”
There were some technical mistakes against Atalanta and OM; is this an area you will focus on for the Auxerre and Barça matches?
For me, it stems from a very clear concept. When you make simple mistakes, it comes from what’s happening around you, the atmosphere. It’s a factor in the match. The players don’t want to make them, but it’s part of football. If we want to win the next two matches, especially against Barça, we can’t afford to make mistakes.
If we make the same mistakes against Barça as against OM, it’s over. But that’s football; we have to accept it. We shouldn’t get angry, even if it’s sometimes difficult. We have to accept it. But I think we will improve tomorrow and against Barça.
Luis Enrique: “There are injuries, but we can use players from the youth academy.”
Are you able to say during a match that something isn’t working and change your approach? Is that difficult for your ego?
It depends. You have to be able to analyze what is positive or negative. It’s difficult. We always try to ask ourselves this question: what we did, was it positive or negative? It’s not just about the result. We ask ourselves if what we did was useful.
We question what is positive or negative. We are always open to it. The players have received it in the best way. Change means going to a new territory. But when you have the players’ trust and the ability to value that, it’s always positive. We are happy to have this mentality.
What do you expect from the youth players? Can some of them play tomorrow?
It’s nice to see how they come into the dressing room; you can feel their happiness. They have quality, both technically and physically. Tomorrow, they can help the team. That’s great. There are injuries, but we can bring in players from the youth academy. Making this transition from youth to senior team a regular occurrence is important for them, for us, and for the overall mindset. We are focused on developing and utilizing our young players.
