Luis Enrique, behind the scenes and on stage – France – Paris Saint-Germain

Broadcast on Movistar+ since the beginning of October and constructed in three episodes, the mini-series entitled You have no **** idea (“You don’t have the slightest fucking idea” in French) allows spectators to mark Luis Enrique’s pants. And this, from his first steps in Paris. An unexpected arrival at the time of the launch of this series, as demonstrated by Duncan McMath, producer of the doc: « We wanted an immersion as close as possible to Luis Enrique and we saw that he gave us a lot of access to his daily life. We started talking with him after the 2022 World Cup. We told him that we were interested in doing something with him, even though he didn’t have a team at that time. When did we see something about a coach without a job? He liked it. » And McMath continued: « Anything that’s not normal, he loves. »

Luis Enrique, the electric battery

A big fan of cappuccino since his experience in Rome (2011-2012), Luis Enrique is a man on drums. Luis Campos himself did not think « that there could be a human being with so much energy ». In constant motion, he is ready to interrupt a work meeting with his staff before a tough Champions League match simply to move, to keep in shape. Something he does every 30 minutes.

Despite a certain disenchantment with journalists, which we recently noticed at the microphone of Canal+ and which he recalls in the doc, Luis Enrique this time gave carte blanche to the film crew. Perhaps precisely because they are not journalists, moreover. « Communication took place with him, when we went to film, we spoke with himexplains Duncan McMath, still under the spell. At one point we told him to let us speak with the club, the press manager or someone. He said no, that he liked talking with us. » A warm welcome which didn’t change the coach either. « Like everyone else, he is a person who can lose patience, who shouts, who gets angry. But we knew that from day oneMcMath remembers. He never got mad at us, he never pissed us off or anything. »

Protective of his family, recalling several times in the series that he can hear all criticism as long as those around him or his players are spared, the Asturian was very open. « He didn’t want anything to do with our work. The only times he told us to change things was when there were times when it could affect the image of his staff or his family. We saw everything together, and they didn’t ask for any changes, nothing. »

Luis Enrique thus leaves the image of a man with a contagious and permanent smile, even when discussing the tragedy that affected his family, the death of his daughter Xana in 2019, at the age of 9: « My daughter lived nine wonderful years with us, we have lots of videos, memories, moments in our heads with her. When we think of her, we laugh, we remember. » For her, the family set up a foundation which fights against the type of illness she suffered, osteosarcoma, or bone cancer. The series ends in Barcelona, ​​during the first charity meal organized by the foundation. An important moment of filming for the producer, who considers this scene to be one of the most important of his career, for what it represents for Enrique: « He didn’t take a single euro for the series. He told me: “What comes to me, I want it to go to the foundation.” »

Mbappé, rant and desire to play

As smiling and attentive as he is, the Parisian coach – in the process of extending his stay in France for two more seasons – remains a very demanding professional. So when his group doesn’t play the way he wants, he lets it be known. We can thus see Enrique on several occasions giving a soap to his players. Pressing too soft, lack of tactical rigor, wait-and-see attitude, everything goes wrong, with a mantra: “Keep playing and believing in the system. » If there was one idea to take away from Enrique, it would be that losing is not an end in itself, as long as you seek to continue playing football. But if there is one player that Luis Enrique likes to take as an example during these lively talks, it is Kylian Mbappé.

Throughout the series, he urges his player to become a leader and lead the others behind him, particularly in pressing, never hesitating to confront him. After a hat-trick in Reims, he reminds him in front of the entire locker room that if he doesn’t defend, the record is not good. Before the return against Real Sociedad, while Mbappé’s upcoming departure came out in the press, he asked him to prove his involvement until the end of the season in front of everyone. After the first leg against Barça, he gave him a memorable blow in private and did it again in front of the group the next day.

Sequences which caused debate in Spain, and which owe a lot to the PSG technician. « We weren’t the ones who filmed them.annonce Duncan McMath. It is recorded by someone from his staff so that he can work on his body language, choice of words and debrief with his psychologist to improve. When we started filming, I didn’t know that. It was him who came to me one day and asked if I thought it might be interesting. » But for McMath, the most important thing about these videos not coming from him is that Enrique “never overplays, he doesn’t force things ».

The well-placed ego

Where the Spaniard doesn’t seem to overplay either is in his permanent optimism. « He is the most positive and optimistic person »McMath remembers. An aspect of the Parisian coach’s personality which can perhaps be explained by immense confidence in his players and in his project, and by a permanent desire to control emotions. An element that the club greatly needed, which was rather used to breaking its knees when the big spring deadlines arrived.

Right in his boots when saying that he represents the Barça DNA more than Xavi, sure of himself when he announces that PSG will recover its goal and its late defeat against these same Catalans, without the shadow of a doubt before facing Real Sociedad, Luis Enrique is sure of himself, even if it means sometimes destabilizing. You surely remember the axial positioning and number 10 of Ousmane Dembélé in the return against the Basques. Well know that the players didn’t learn it long before you, only during the pre-match chat at the hotel.

Everything about him exudes confidence, and his anticipations are not likely to deflate this capital. The wanderings with the ball at the foot of Ronald Araujo? Mbappé’s need to go down on corners? Barça’s too lax defense on outside hitters? All situations identified beforehand and which transformed into goals at Montjuic. With great blows of « if we do what we know how to do, we are better »the Asturian constantly reassures a group who only ask for that. In the middle of the end credits, Enrique warns all the followers of the Parisian club: « With a player who moves randomly, it meant that I didn’t control every situation. Next year, I will control everything, all situations, without exception! » If all these ingredients make it possible to have a good series, it remains to be seen if it will allow Paris Saint-Germain to have a good season. And for that, no need to go to Movistar+.

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