The Parisian coach answered questions from journalists this Monday at the Allianz Arena, on the eve of the clash between the capital club and Bayern Munich in the Champions League.
Reasons to hope : “The confidence I can gain, I gain it every week from my team and my players when I see them training.”
If PSG will, for the first time this season, suffer against Bayern : “It is clear that Bayern and we are teams that are similar in terms of game proposition. Two teams that want to have the ball and press very high. The statistics are quite similar, especially on the offensive level, xG (expected goals), chances. Tomorrow (Tuesday), the problem is that there will only be one ball. So a team will suffer, them or us.
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With the exception of the match against Arsenal, my team performed very well
Luis Enrique
If PSG has progressed since the 2-0 defeat against Arsenal : “We played 12 Ligue 1 matches and four in the Champions League, 16 matches in total. With the exception of the match against Arsenal, my team performed very well. It shows in the numbers, on offense and defense. Tomorrow, we will follow this line. We will have to go even further than what we are used to. It will be the same for Bayern. When we don't have the ball, we will have to run more and raise the level, especially against an opponent of this caliber and on the move.
The pressure : “We have already played four C1 matches, including three at home. I already said the results were unfair (he talks about the draw against PSV and the defeat against Atlético, Editor's note). But they are what they are. Now we have to produce results to qualify. The number of points needed to pass? We don't know. But we can say that we complicated the task on our own… Football only knows one thing, goals scored. And for that, we still have room for improvement.”
Bradley Barcola has only scored once in 14 C1 matches : “To judge the numbers around a player, you have to take into account previous years. It's quite difficult when you have a lot of young players. There is a necessary progression but I invite you to wait until the end of the season to judge the players. Above all, the strength of our team is not to depend on a single player. What I expect is individual progression from each of my players.”
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Bayern play the football that most resembles ours in terms of game idea with Manchester City
Luis Enrique
Characteristics of German football : “We must not generalize. Bayern are favorites everywhere, in all competitions. This will still be valid in 10 or 20 years! This club has won the Champions League six times, a historic club, different from all other German clubs. I repeat, Bayern play football which is most similar to ours in terms of game idea with Manchester City. These are teams created to have possession and who seek to recover the ball as soon as they lose it. We are not afraid to defend far from the goal. This is what best defines the match you will see tomorrow, two fronts facing each other. That guarantees it will be a great match.”
Gonçalo Ramos from return : “He is in the final process of his recovery with the clear intention of returning… but I don’t know when.”
Matfey Safonov who is gaining momentum: “I want all my players to be ready for every match, that’s my goal as a coach. This is the objective for the current season and those to come. Whether he is tactically suited to playing against a high-pressing team like Bayern? I repeat, I want all the players to be ready, no matter their name.
A full-scale test against a European great away : “We are already playing at a high level. You like some of our matches more or less but I am satisfied with the ambition of my team and by what I see. Tomorrow, we will give everything again, we will try, we will be courageous, we will go on the attack, we will take risks in defense. There's nothing else that interests me. If Bayern are better than us, we will applaud them and go back to work. That’s the reality.”
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It was important for us as a team to have him back in training
Luis Enrique on Presnel Kimpembe
The return of Presnel Kimpembe : “Things are going well for him but he is still in the recovery phase. It was important for us as a team to have him back in training. But there is still one more step in the process. Ramos is more ready.”
How the false 9 can be a game changer for opposing pressure : “We can get rid of the opposing team's pressure in different ways. We can try to start from behind using short passes, we can have a 9 who keeps the ball, put the ball behind the defense… Everyone has their solution. I’ll choose mine tomorrow.”
PSG's interest in Joshua Kimmich : “I do not comment on players who are not in our squad.”
Comments collected at a press conference
