A match in the legend of PSG and perhaps even a legendary match at all. Trailing 0-2 in the 53rd minute, PSG reversed the situation and Manchester City this Wednesday evening to win (4-2). Now 22nd in the rankings, he can foresee qualification for the round of 16 of the Champions League. Everything will be decided in Stuttgart next week, on January 29. Luis Enrique, at a post-match press conference at the Parc des Princes, expressed his pleasure.
How do you describe this match?
LUIS HENRY. I can’t imagine this press conference if the score had remained 0-2. It would have been totally different. It would have been very nice… I want to highlight the City match and our match. These are two teams with a mindset of attack and constant pressing. It was a hard-fought, intense match. I don’t want to forget to say that we have the best supporters in the world. They never stop supporting the team regardless of the result. We dedicate the result to them, this second half comeback. We never stop believing in it.
How do you explain that your team did not go 0-2?
It’s not the first time. In Lens, in Monaco… My team has a lot going for it. She never surrenders, until the last second. The victory will strengthen my players because we are young, without much experience. They have shown that they can be competitive and that they never give up.
Did you experience this match as a relief?
A lot of coaches would like to have my place. We think about attacking and pressing. It was unfair at 0-2. The team’s faith is unwavering. This result strengthens us in our ideas and in our state of mind. It adds a little justice in the Champions League since we are missing 5 points in view of the content of previous matches. Stuttgart is missing one match to win to ensure qualification.
“The false 9, whether I like it or not, doesn’t matter to me”
Is this a tactical victory over Pep Guardiola?
I don’t care at all. The false 9, like it or not, doesn’t matter to me. I work as well as I can. I know where I stand.
-Is this PSG’s best match since your arrival?
No. But I’m not saying that to contradict you. In terms of intensity, the match in Munich was also huge. With one less player. But the result (1-0 defeat) did not allow us to see it. We are a team that is difficult to play against. When we don’t have the ball, we don’t stop pressing. Facing a talented opponent like City and the best coach in the world, we managed this pressing in an incredible atmosphere. We had a very good match.
Did Gonçalo Ramos, in 20 minutes, score any points?
I have a lot of respect for him. We can’t blame him for anything. He is always present. I convey the idea that there is no indisputable holder. Competition will soon be even tougher with Kvaratskhelia. The more competition, the better. No one lowers their concentration level. Nobody feels settled. We need players with an incredible mindset like Lucas Hernandez who played as if it was the last match of his career.
“If we leave this first phase, we will be very complicated for anyone”
What were your words at the break?
After the first period and this intense pace, I thought we were going to keep this pace and I asked them to dare even more. Against City, we cannot calculate. There was the shock of the two goals conceded but the team insisted, feeling the support of the supporters. The key is the first goal with Bradley Barcola’s ride and Ousmane Dembélé’s goal. From then on we were superior to City. If we can do it to City, we can do it to any team.
Tell us about your joy at the end of the meeting….
It was an obvious relief. The Champions League has been complicated since the first match. It was very important for confidence. If we get out of this first phase, we will be very complicated for anyone. If we win in Stuttgart, we will be competitive against anyone. We can still improve and that’s the goal.
