Paris Saint-Germain lost 3-1 to Rennes this Friday at Roazhon Park in Matchday 22 of the 2025-2026 Ligue 1 season. After the match, PSG coach Luis Enrique spoke at a press conference.
How do you explain the defeat against Rennes after the 5-0 victory against Olympique de Marseille?
“It’s very simple. We have exactly the same number of expected goals. But against OM we scored five goals, here only one. It’s simple!”
Luis Enrique: “These statements are worthless.”
Dembélé made some strong comments after the match. What do you think of them?
“I’ll answer in Spanish… The players’ statements at the end of the match are worthless. Absolutely worthless. Neither are those of the coaches, but those of the players, absolutely worthless.” I’m not going to answer any questions from any player, any answers from any player. I will never allow any player to be above the club. So, that’s clear.
I am the person responsible for the team. I will not allow any player to think they are more important than the club. No one is above the club, not me, not the sporting director, not the president. So, these statements are worthless. They are the result of the end of a match. I think that’s clear.
Can playing only one match a week impact the team’s effectiveness?
“No, today we lacked efficiency, that’s all. We had chances in the first half, three very clear ones, in my opinion. We went into halftime down by a goal, and in the second half, we created more chances than the opponent. We lacked efficiency, that’s all.” Rennes played a very good match, they brought intensity. They created fewer opportunities than us, but they scored three goals. They deserved to win.
Is there an explanation for this lack of clinical finishing?
“That’s the wonderful side of football. It depends on individual talent, on inspiration; that’s what makes football wonderful. That’s the difference between this week and last week. We have to accept that.
I’m not one to single out performances after a defeat; that’s not the right approach. We all need to improve. Especially since this is the best time of the season. With this performance, we need to make some decisions.”
Enrique: “We did the job; we could have been ahead, drawn.”
Why is PSG struggling so much to string together wins?
“Today, we lacked efficiency. We were playing away against a very good team.” We did the job, we could have been ahead, drawn. But we let our chance slip away. They scored three times, we scored once.
This is PSG’s third defeat in 2026, do you have an explanation?
“It’s the same for all coaches, if you win, you’re very good, if you lose, you’re not. It’s a shame in my opinion because we fight hard, we put in a lot of effort to gain confidence. But this type of match is dangerous because you lose confidence and it’s not easy to overcome that.”
Are you worried before facing Monaco?
“I’m worried every day because I want us to improve all the time. I demand more from the players every day. It’s a shame because in Le Classique we were very precise. Today it was the complete opposite. It’s a shame, but that’s how football works.”
