The Parisian coach answered questions from journalists this Tuesday, in Poissy, on the eve of the reception of Atlético.
His feeling before Atlético : «The feeling is almost like the match before the other C1 matches, especially at home, of optimism and confidence, with the objective of winning the three points.»
If he prefers to face a team that plays like Atlético : “I don’t have a preference. I'm going to meet Diego Simeone again, we've already met as players but also as coaches. He is a very good coach. It commands respect when you see a coach who has been in place for such a long time at such a club, it's obviously very hard, it takes a lot of energy, it's hard to convince your players in the long term. Staying this long obviously means you are an incredible coach. It will be a difficult match, like all Champions League matches. He is an opponent who knows how to play very well collectively and has great individualities. Afterwards, whether we play against a team which adapts more to our idea of a game or which has a completely different idea of a game, I have no preference.
L'Atlético : “All Atlético players are internationals, used to very high level matches, so they will be very competitive tomorrow (Wednesday) and will have a high level. We're halfway through this first phase of the competition, we don't know what's going to happen. Their schedule will be more favorable than ours after this game, but that's football, you never know what's going to happen. We focus on tomorrow's match, with the idea of doing things better than the opponent in order to get closer to victory. (…) I have no doubt, despite their results against Benfica (0-4 defeat) and Lille (1-3 defeat), Atlético will show its best version tomorrow, a more competitive, stronger version, more serious. He will be a very tough opponent to fight. I have no doubt about that. But at the Parc des Princes, the supporters will be with us until the last second. And that’s the goal for us: to be competitive throughout the entire match.”
Two faces between the championship and the European Cup : “No, we still have the same face, the same collective idea. The competitions are different, no one has any doubt that the C1 has a higher level. But in terms of the facets of our game that we can control, I am very satisfied with the performance of my team, whether in attack or defense. In terms of numbers, we are one of the best teams in defense and attack. I would sign straight away to have the same statistics as against PSV or Girona, with different results however, results which were not deserved (PSG beat Girona thanks to a last-second CSC and shared the points against PSV, Editor's note).”
A decisive match for qualification : “No, it’s not decisive, not at all. If a team loses tomorrow but wins the next four matches will qualify without worry. The match is not decisive, but important, and the objective is to win, that's for sure. And our schedule is harder than theirs, it’s clear, very difficult, I’m aware of that, but you never know what’s going to happen in football.”
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It is important not to depend on any particular player in the long term.
Luis Enrique
The duo Marquinhos/Pacho : “I understand that you tend to individualize things, it's logical, normal and it's your job, but mine is to generalize things, to ensure that each player brings something to the team , whether in defense, midfield or attack. My goal is always collective, how to improve collectively. I have no doubt that we can improve defensively and offensively. This applies to the Marquinhos/Pacho duo, but also to Milan Skriniar and Lucas Berlado, the full-backs, the midfielders… It’s logical. It's normal that you look for players or duos that work well to establish some sort of hierarchy. But we analyze things globally. It is important not to depend on any particular player in the long term.”
The lack of efficiency in C1 : “I don’t know, time will tell us more. I have no doubt: we will be one of the teams that scores the most. When will it trigger? I don't know. What worries me is always generating chances by having been stronger than the opponent, that's my objective, always generating chances. Scoring more or less is something else again, we obviously work week after week to improve efficiency, but above all I want to have the same statistics as in the matches against PSV and Girona. You see the result but I see the overall picture, and it was very positive. We drew against Eindhoven, that's football, but we could have won these two matches. No one will say it's right. But I'm not going to do the show or put together a whole scenario. We also cannot say that we are going to buy this or that player and that he will guarantee a certain number of goals, there is no such thing on the market. We try to solve it as a team, with the players who are best placed to carry out the actions.
Antoine Griezmann : “He’s a French player but he’s been in Spain for so long that you could almost say he has dual nationality! I don't know if he wants her, but it doesn't matter. Still, he is incredibly good in the offensive aspects, he can play as a second attacker, in the corridors, he has even evolved inside the game, he is very complete, very versatile, great qualities football players at the service of the team. His stats are incredible for goals and assists. He is a vital player at Atlético. It will obviously be necessary to monitor it closely…”
If he has been close to taking the reins of Atlético in the past : “It’s true, but I had already made a decision, I had made a commitment to another club. I think Atlético was very lucky to find Diego Simeone because I wouldn't have stayed half the time he already spent there (smile). I don't have that energy that he has. He is the best possible coach for Atlético, with all his titles. Madrid supporters can consider themselves lucky (smile).”
Manage playing times : “To play a Champions League match, a coach must not do calculations. Motivation is always important, everyone will want to play tomorrow. They are ready. In other matches, other competitions, you have to be a little more attentive, judge the preparation and the motivation. But for a match like tomorrow, there is no doubt, everyone is ready.”
The essential Marquinhos : “The numbers speak for themselves in terms of what Marquinhos means to this club and this team. For me, it's incredible to have a player with this profile, this ambition, this personality. He is still young (30 years old). He is the leader of the team and someone who leads by example. That’s what we want, for him to stay at this level for many years.”
Comments collected at a press conference
