It was a Luis Enrique satisfied with the victory against OL (3-1) but not necessarily relaxed who presented himself at the press conference. He highlighted some positive individual cases, such as Désiré Doué and Gonçalo Ramos, but he also gave a tactical lesson about transitions. The PSG coach also commented on the absences of Kolo Muani and Skriniar. Here are his comments in full, translated by us.
With this victory against OL, you put your competitors in the championship at bay. Is this the conclusion of a perfect week?
“I think it was an important day, where we were the only team in the top nine to win. It was also important to win against a good Lyon team who were on a ten-match streak without losing. So we have achieved all our objectives. »
You asked to be patient with Désiré Doué. Tonight, he is brilliant in addition to being decisive. What did you think of his performance?
“Désiré Doué brings us more and more”
“(That it is) in line with these last four matches. I am convinced that what will make us progress will be the ability of our players to raise their level of performance. If we achieved this with all the players in the squad, which seems impossible, it would be perfect. It’s very important that the players feel that every match at Paris Saint-Germain is difficult and that they therefore have to be good. Désiré brings us more and more, he is a young player, barely 19 years old. And I’m happy with all the players on the squad. »
Why didn’t you call Kolo Muani, Skriniar and Kimpembé this evening?
“Because I can only call 20 players. »
From a French point of view, it comes as a surprise when Kolo Muani, who is a player for the French team, is not selected for Paris Saint-Germain. You often say that you decide based on what is shown in training. Is he not showing enough in training?
“I know I don’t speak French, but in Spanish, I couldn’t be clearer. Those who don’t understand, that’s not my problem. »
We saw that the team was very focused on the offensive and rapid attacks, especially in transition. Is this something you asked of the players or did they do it on their own?
“If we have transitions to play, it’s because the opponent dares to press us”
“Everything that happens on the pitch is the players who do it, because the coach cannot be on the pitch. But it depends on the match and the opponent. If we have transitions to play, it’s because the opponent dares to press us. If he presses us high, it creates spaces and we then try to take advantage of them. Usually, this is not the case because the majority of teams do not press us and wait for us in a low block, which makes it impossible to play in transitions. Depending on what happens during the match, we try to hurt the opponent and take advantage and gain an advantage.
But today, Lyon, who were on a very good run, decided to press us. They had the initiative and the courage to press us. When we are in this situation, with many players leaving their camp, spaces are created and our objective is to exploit them. When there are spaces, we take advantage of them. When there is none, we must remain active with the ball, circulate the ball and create numerical superiorities to find spaces. But it always depends on the opponent. Our intention is always to dominate the match. How the opponent occupies space varies depending on the team. »
In the mixed zone, Dembélé, who was accompanied by Kimpembé, told us that he thought the latter could perhaps rejoin the group against Monaco or Lens, or even at the start of 2025 for the Champions Trophy. What is his state of health and when could he return to your group?
“I don’t know (when he will come back). Honestly, I don’t know. What I am certain of is that I am always delighted to see players recover from injuries and get back to their level as soon as possible. When ? Training is the best way to assess the condition of my players. I’m happy to see my players come back and get back on their feet. There is no doubt about it. »
Ramos was very clinical in this match. He seems to have regained confidence in himself after a long period of absence. How do you feel right now?
“Since he came back from injury, I think Ramos already brings a lot to the team”
“Since he came back from injury, I think Ramos already brings a lot to the team. Today he played few minutes, but at a high level. He had played much more in previous matches. This is decided based on what we judge to be best for the team. I repeat, what is important is that each player makes the most of his playing time and creates competition between teammates. The more players we have contributing to the party, the better in my opinion. The celebration is that they actually have the opportunity to play, that they train 100% to demonstrate that they want to play. If the substitutes push, the starters must do the same, and that’s how we will obtain the best version of Paris Saint-Germain. That’s my goal and that’s what I’ve been doing for so many years now. »
