SATURDAYin the cadre of the 11th day of Ligue 1 2024-2025, Paris Saint-Germain (1st) will face Angers (15e) au Stade Raymond Kopa (kick-off at 9 p.m., diffusion on DAZN). On the eve of this meeting, Parisian coach Luis Enrique answered several questions at a press conference.
Luis Enrique “He must have the right mentality to help the team. »
A good or bad thing to continue tomorrow after the defeat?
Without a doubt, it's good. I think it's positive to be able to compete again, to have new difficulties. Top players are used to having good and bad results.
What is our opinion on Doué’s first months? Is he an apprentice?
I consider them very good. There is not one mathematical rule in football. Recruits do not have the same adaptation. Everyone is different. Most adapt easily, it's slower for some. Doué is a high-level player for the future. He needs to have the right mentality to help the team.
Luis Enrique “We will try to resolve this problem with our resources. »
Do you want to recruit a striker in the transfer window?
I never said that. I never complain about players I don't have, injuries or anything else. I have no shortage of players. With the new transfer window arriving, it is an opportunity to say that there are players that we were unable to bring in because the clubs closed the door.
Some wanted to come, but the prices were exorbitant. I am very happy with the players we have. Then we will try to develop the team to solve our problems. We lack efficiency, it’s true. The goal is to unlock it. You can't just press a button, that would be too easy for sport. But it doesn't all depend on one player or one injured person. It's different.
We will improve. There is a blockage, because we see a difference between the championship and the Champions League. It's a tough competition, but we'll find solutions. The situation is delicate, we must accept it. We will try to resolve this problem with our resources.
Luis Enrique “We don’t need additional blockages. »
How to resolve doubts?
I would rather say an excess of responsibility, without being 100% sure. But when I see what is happening, it seems that the Champions League is a different world. But we can't win it with additional pressure. We should not see this competition like this. There is no need for additional blockages.
But we will face this, we will look at things with optimism. I hope we will improve our statistics in the next match.
What assessment do you draw from your European experience with PSG with 6 victories in 16 matches?
It all depends on what you want to get out of it, that's typical. We played in the group of death, very difficult matches. This is still the case this season. We played runner-up last year. These are statistics, I accept. But we can also bring out positive statistics. I accept.
Luis Enrique “What I consider more appropriate will not be influenced by the outside. »
What do you expect from the player who plays 9 in your team?
What we've all been waiting for. I could defend the idea of having a false 9, I could tell you what it means to have a 9. But those are my decisions. I'm looking for what's best for my team. What I consider more appropriate will not be influenced from the outside. I hear criticism, especially for the 9 when he doesn't score and we forget to congratulate the false 9 when we score.
I do it according to the team, what we want to do, what I consider important. A coach puts on the field the players who are considered to be the best. Afterwards, they can be considered good or not. I accept it.
Luis Enrique “We have to overcome this, with confidence and clear situations, a collective mentality. »
What is the state of mind of the players? And yours ?
After a match like Wednesday, I experienced others, it's difficult to talk about it and analyze it. Because emotions take over everything, the result is that we see nothing positive. The ideal would be for there to be no press conference. Except for the show.
I feel very good, perfectly. I have it in my genes to have competition, to seek to improve. We know that there is a blockage in the finishing, we know it. It's general for the whole team, all the players who approach the surface. We must overcome this, with confidence and clear situations, a collective mentality.
I am optimistic, it is a medium/long term project. There will be ups and downs. We're doing well in the league, it's more difficult in the Champions League. We will face candidates for the title, we will have to take up the challenge.
How to overcome the blockage?
These are dynamics in football. Everyone wants to do a little more when there is trust, but when it becomes negative, we will go down the mountain and it can get worse.
We are trying to see what we can do on the ground to overcome this. But it's not possible to press a button. There are resources to help players and that's my job.
Luis Enrique “The finish is missing, that’s for sure. But you have to see the positive. »
A lack of overtaking function in the middle, a concern for confidence or an instruction to follow?
It's the opposite, the midfielders have the obligation to attack, to score, to pass. The characteristic of our PSG is attacking. There are impressive numbers for us in the Champions League, in creation, and few shots conceded. It's missing the finish, that's for sure. But you have to see the positive. My players wanted to win the match. Maybe we need more calm. It's not about one or two players.
Do you work on finishing in training? And how?
This is a very clear situation. You have to analyze the videos to see what needs to be improved in decision-making. All the teams work on finishing, every week, like all the teams.
But I repeat, you should not focus on just one thing. Otherwise, it becomes an obsession. You have to be calm, prepare for the match in the best way. There are always missed opportunities in football, although not as many as we have recently. My team will improve, we have already seen it in recent months.
Luis Enrique “Everyone has responsibilities. »
Vitinha is less decisive this season, is that a special instruction?
This is the same answer as for your colleague. All players have obligations. This is a problem to be solved as a team. It's not a question of position. Everyone has the same job, with mobility, you need 4-5 players who enter the box.
We are one of the teams with the most players in the box. The instructions are clear, the structure is there. Everyone has responsibilities. But it's part of football to have low moments. But there is no instruction not to go into the area, not to shoot. But it's football, it's part of development.
Luis Enrique “It will be against a very motivated opponent, who has not lost in 4 matches. It will be difficult. »
How to approach the 4 finals in the Champions League?
The most important match is tomorrow. We have to show what we have to do. We have to resolve the team problem as a team, even if in Ligue 1 we don't have this problem, there is no added pressure.
Tomorrow, we will rotate the team after a few days of rest. We want to have a good collective match, solve the problems and win. It will be against a very motivated opponent, who has not lost in 4 matches. It will be difficult.
Can you say more about Angers?
This is a team that has shown that it knows how to defend close to its goal and knows what to do to use its attackers to take up space. This is a team that poses problems. It will be a difficult journey. We want to show a good image, this can help us strengthen ourselves for the situation. There will be changes, I need all players ready.
