It was a relaxed and motivated Luis Enrique who presented himself at a press conference this Tuesday, on the eve of PSG’s 16th final of the Coupe de France against fans of Espaly (N3). The Spanish coach notably suggested that Presnel Kimpembe could make his comeback on the field, almost two years after his last match, and he also mentioned Senny Mayulu, the state of health of Marquinhos and the transfer window. Here are his full remarks, translated by us.
Is the match against Espaly ideal to give Presnel Kimpembe a few minutes?
“I see in training that Kimpembe is ready to help the team”
“Tomorrow is an ideal match to see some players, yes. And after speaking with Presnel to find out if he feels ready to play, he told me that he feels much better. Over the past month, he has been able to train with the team, but I believe it is important to share with the player himself to know what his real state is. But yes, I see in training that he is ready to be able to help the team. »
Same question for Skriniar and Kolo Muani. Is this the opportunity to see them, perhaps for the last time?
“Tomorrow morning we will give the list of players called up and I particularly like my players to have this information before you, so you will see tomorrow if they are called up or not. »
Between tomorrow’s meeting and the one against Lens, where can there be the most turnover in relation to the upcoming deadlines, particularly in the Champions League against City?
“I would add to this reflection the previous match against Saint-Etienne where we tried to establish a schedule since we come from a Christmas period where the players were able to rest while continuing to train, but at their home. The goal is to arrive at the Champions League and Ligue 1 matches in the best conditions and for that we must of course manage the playing time. That’s a bit of the formula that we try to achieve. But over the course of these matches, there will obviously be a turnover to give all players the playing time that we consider appropriate. »
What do you think of Senny Mayulu’s recent performances? He is coming off an interesting start against Saint-Etienne. More generally, how do you consider his evolution in recent months and what can he bring to this Parisian environment?
“I am very happy to have Mayulu in the squad”
“Senny Mayulu is one of the players we bet on at the club. I love this player and I think I already told you last year, when he decided to stay when he could have left, that it was big news for us. He was unlucky to get injured with the French U20 team and that prevented him from getting more playing time, but I think in this match against Saint-Etienne we could see some positive things coming from Senny. I’m very happy to have him in the squad and that he has the opportunity to fight for a starting place. The more competitive players I have, the happier I am. »
What will be your thoughts when choosing your starting goalkeeper tomorrow?
“That’s a very good question. I’ll think about it this evening. I have my three guardians available, ready, but I have to think about it. It’s obvious that the decisions we make as coaches are often decisions that the players don’t always like, but I have confidence in my goalkeepers and we will see tomorrow who we are going to play. »
We know that you don’t really like talking about players who are not in your squad, but can you tell us if you like the profile of Kvaratskhelia, who could be close to joining you? Would you validate his profile if we suggested it to you?
“Yes, yes, I like to talk about players who are not in the squad, but I don’t do it. I like to talk about these players who are not in the squad. I can talk about all these players, but I don’t until they are at PSG. »
How do you see this January transfer window? Is it possible for you to imagine a transfer window where there would be a lot of departures and a lot of arrivals in the middle of the season?
“Luis Campos is attentive to try to improve the team in all positions”
“It’s a very different transfer window from the summer transfer window, which is more open, with more possibilities. You prepare, you plan, even if everything doesn’t come true, because it’s very difficult to bring in the players you want to bring. This January market is very complicated, very difficult, because it’s difficult to aim well. But I repeat, I am very happy with my squad and my objective is to get the most out of it. It’s very difficult to get better and even more in this transfer window. But despite everything, we must remain open, the sports management remains open and Luis Campos is attentive to try to improve the team in all positions. It’s difficult of course and almost impossible in this transfer window. In general, these are things that happen more in the summer. But I continue to say that I am very happy with the squad and that it is very difficult to improve it. »
How are you preparing for this match against Espaly, a small National 3 club. Difficult for us, for example, to have information on the players. How did you do it? Has anyone on your staff seen them play?
“Yes of course, we have an adversary analysis department. We saw and looked at Espaly, which is a club in another category which will play in a stadium which is not its own. It’s one of the beautiful things that we find in the Coupe de France, the possibility of playing different teams and of course we are going to play this match as we always play with the PSG jersey, fully. It’s a competition we want to win, we are the defending champions. It’s a match that gives us another chance to demonstrate that when we play PSG, there are no friendly matches or matches to relax. When you play in a team at this level, it’s difficult, you have to be ready for every match, every training. This is something my team has done throughout this year and a half and I hope they continue to do so. Tomorrow is a good test to see our team competing in different circumstances, but it’s a very interesting competition. »
Is it possible for you to take the matches one after the other or do you necessarily have the big matches in the back of your mind?
“We have a general vision, for example for January of 6 matches, 7 including the Champions Trophy. You have to look at the workload, the playing time and see what is best in the short, medium and long term. But in terms of preparation, I only have the match against Espaly to plan. In terms of motivation, it’s very easy. But it’s important to know that the Coupe de France is a very short competition. In 90 minutes you can be eliminated. There are no extensions. After the previous match against Lens, it’s a competition that attracts us and motivates us a lot. »
This morning, Marquinhos was still absent. Does his injury worry you given the upcoming deadlines?
“No, no. I don’t worry. His injury is very minor, but of course we don’t want to take any risks. He won’t be here tomorrow, I don’t know when he will come back exactly, but it’s not something to worry about. It’s something usual, nothing more. The doctors keep us informed of the player’s condition. He is doing very well and could play tomorrow, but it doesn’t make much sense to take risks. »
You’ve been here a year and a half. We know that a project can take several years to be implemented. There was a first wave with many departures and arrivals. We have the impression that now it’s the end with only a few recruits. Where are you in your process?
“It would be great to stay at PSG for 10 years”
“I would say I don’t know how long this process is going to take. Do you know how long I will stay at PSG? (The journalist answers 10 years and Luis Enrique laughs). I hope… But the reality is that it’s difficult to stay at a top club for so long. And I never stayed more than four years in my other clubs, each time I needed to recharge my batteries because energy is something that runs out. But here it is a totally different project from my previous projects. I feel very good here, very comfortable and I have been trying to convey that to you from the beginning. It would be great to stay 10 years because that would mean everyone is very happy, but that’s not a concern for me. I try to live in the moment, this season, this team. Trying to develop the team, it’s a very young squad and I would of course like to develop this project, but I’m not an innocent novice either. I know how the competition works, you have to be at your best in every match, every day. It wears everyone out, not just me as a coach, but also the club, the supporters. I don’t know where I am in my process, but that’s not important. What is important is that right away, I have this necessary energy. »
Espaly will be a different opponent. Can you use a different system against this opponent? And could Axel Tape experience his first tenure tomorrow?
“I’ll start with the second question. Yes of course, if Axel Tape is on the list tomorrow, he can absolutely participate in the match. And for the rest, we don’t adapt to the opponent, we adapt to the opponent when we don’t have the ball and that’s very rare. It is the adversary who adapts to us. And that’s why we are obsessed with this idea of possession, of having the ball in the opponent’s half, to be the team that manages the match. But in the majority of matches, the opponent changes. Saint-Etienne has not changed, but the majority of teams are changing the way they play against us. Tomorrow for Espaly, I don’t know if they will maintain their style of play or change it. Usually, the teams adapt to us. Tomorrow, everything will depend on what our opponent does. »
We heard you speaking in French recently. Will we soon have your press conferences in French?
“(in French) I think that before the 10th birthday, I will do them in French (smile). »
