Not really angry but rather fatalistic after his team’s draw against Reims (1-1), Luis Enrique spoke a lot about the difficulties in breaking through a low block or even the first of the rookie Khvicha Kvaratskhelia during his press conference, but not only that. Here are his full remarks, translated by us.
Should we look in the energy that you perhaps left on Wednesday, or in other reasons, to explain the fact that Paris did not manage to ignite and put on the same match as against City?
“We achieved our goal of managing this week in the best possible way”
“This match takes place in a particular context in terms of calendar, namely between two Champions League matches, which can be destabilizing. I didn’t think the team lacked energy. I would even say that I found it good. However, we made six changes, or more than 50% of the team. We achieved our goal of managing this week in the best possible way to be ready for the games.
Today we already knew that it would be very difficult because (Reims) is an opponent who defends very well, especially against us, and has already been able to obtain good results (here). The key to this match was our ability to capitalize on the few chances we had. The second half started very well and we were able to score a goal. Too bad we couldn’t hold that score and they were able to score ten minutes later. This match was complicated and difficult from the first minute but we knew in advance that it would be tough. »
Apart from the result this evening, you generally dominated the Stade de Reims and would undoubtedly have deserved to win. Are you satisfied with the performance of your players given the schedule, the Champions League deadlines and your lead in the standings?
“I heard correctly that Reims deserved to win the match? (The translator corrects) Ah, I understood that Reims had deserved to win the match and I was going to answer that I had not seen the same thing in fact. We had an overall idea, before the match obviously, an objective. But faced with the difficulties imposed by the opponent and their merit – for me Reims played a very complete match defensively – it was difficult for us to create chances even though we are a team that creates a lot of them.
But I have nothing to reproach my players. I believe they brought all the attitude, ambition and will to win into the world. We tried several approaches but these opponents know very well how to counterattack and defend in numbers, with all the players, in a low block. There were practically no spaces and in this kind of case you have to find solutions and be efficient. Otherwise, the opponent can also use their qualities, score a goal and get a good draw. »
What did you think of Kvaratskhelia’s first half. We felt him a little more comfortable in the second half, especially on his marks with Dembelé. Is this an observation that you also share?
“As soon as Kvara touches the ball, you feel he is different”
“Well, he played the first half and it’s always complicated for a player to play his first match in a team. He only had four training sessions with his teammates. We barely know him and he doesn’t know us either. I think he was good. As soon as he touches the ball, you feel he is different. It’s his first match, but it’s the first of a long series within the club and I think the results are positive. He started the second half very well, like this action where he managed to combine and pass to Ousmane. He’s on a good run. He clearly lacks rhythm because he hasn’t played officially in a while. It’s obvious he doesn’t understand anything and the situation is still new, but I hope this is the first game of a long series. »
Kvara tried a lot of dribbles, as many PSG players are capable of. Today it wasn’t necessarily successful but it was only his first match so that’s normal. Are you going to ask him in the future, despite all the dribblers you already have, to also try a lot in each match?
“We are a team that generally has much better ball possession than our opponents. And in the end, thanks to our mobility and the one-on-ones caused by each player, we create (numerical) superiorities. Kvaratskhelia is one of those players, and we have others, which is fortunate for me as a coach. It’s a puzzle: we have all the pieces and we start putting them together. Before giving instructions, we like to observe how players behave in training and what types of synergy appear between players. And I repeat the rule common to all my attackers, which is that everyone can play in all positions, which I consider very positive and beneficial for the team. »
The matches follow one another. How are your players doing physically?
-“Like every year. Like every season. Our teams, or at least my teams, are characterized by a very high physical level and a lot of intensity. Just look at the amount of sprinting our team does and how we dominate games. We are on the same line as usual. The important part of the season is coming, we have to be in good condition. It’s not enough to arrive in September with peak form, it’s a more linear process. I’m not worried at all. Even with this schedule. It’s an intense schedule and one that we’re happy with. Now we have to play this next Champions League match to confirm our position in the standings, and win the match to qualify or draw. This is our goal. »
You made strong choices by removing Hakimi and Marquinhos from the match sheet. Is it due to minor injuries against City or to preserve them for the match against Stuttgart?
“Marquinhos and the players who were rested were because we deemed it appropriate”
“There are different situations. It’s like for Ousmane Dembélé in the previous match. It’s one thing to say before the match that he’s in perfect condition to play when he’s not, because out of the last seven days he’s spent five with a high fever and the last two days of training very lightly. So it’s one thing to say this before the match so as not to give clues to the opponent about the players I’m going to select, but the reality is another. They are two different things. I don’t want to give any clues to the opponent. We are playing against Stuttgart, Marquinhos and the players who were rested were because we deemed it appropriate, they are all ready to go to Stuttgart and play a very important match. »
You started Kvaratskhelia on the left at the start of the match. We saw him a little more in the center with the substitutes and even up front at the end of the attack. Does this give the temperature of the tactical treatment that you will reserve for him in the coming months?
“The treatment of attackers is the same for everyone. I make it a rule to condition the opportunity to play on their performance. I think Kvaratskhelia will be up to par and is a very interesting reinforcement for us. But we have to wait to judge his performance, he has only just arrived. My rule is to try to set players who are on fire. Who are the players on fire? The best. That’s my job as a coach. It doesn’t matter what their name is or what country they come from. That’s the goal with attackers. There are standards, there is an idea of the game. I like players to be ambitious and want to play. But it is obvious that there is competition in a team like Paris Saint-Germain which aspires to all the titles. So they can all play in all positions, it depends on them. »
You were talking about the lack of efficiency earlier. Does it upset you that Gonçalo Ramos is missing this evening, for example?
“I always think that the most motivated to score remains the player. And the goal must result from the team’s performance. Today we created fewer scoring chances even though it was essential, it was the key to the match, especially in the first half. It would have completely changed the game to score these chances. But I repeat, I have nothing to reproach my players. They are the first to want to score goals. »
We had the feeling in this match that there were too many touches. Is this something to erase before the fateful match against Stuttgart?
“How many passes do we have to make to satisfy you?” I believe this is a footballing scenario that often occurs, especially on our pitch. The opponent plays in a low block, with 11 players behind the ball, players who are physically strong and good defensively. It’s so hard to find spaces. It is possible that we could have had more fluidity in the circulation of the ball.
For me, when you face a defensive system like the one Reims has in place today, movements without the ball are much more important than movements with the ball. There is a difference between what we plan, what we try to work on and improve, and what the player sees on the pitch. It’s very complicated, there is no space, there is no time, there is a density of physically strong players. If it were that easy, everyone would do it: have more possession and pass more…
Our goal is to win the match with our weapons. Is our weapon to have the ball? Yes. Is this what the coach asks them? Yes. Is this too much? No, I never ask them to do too much. Just do the right number. But the right number is still very difficult to obtain. I repeat: the team behaves as I wish. Today in particular, movements without the ball were important, even more than individual one-on-one actions. For me, playing without the ball allows you to create a danger for the opponent, to push them even further and create more scoring opportunities. But I repeat, it’s easy to talk about the theory from the coach’s point of view. What’s difficult is playing. »
