Paris begins its new Champions League campaign this Wednesday by hosting the Spanish team Girona at the Parc des Princes. With four wins in as many Ligue 1 outings, Marquinhos’s partners are confident. This Tuesday, coach Luis Enrique was in a press conference from the Poissy Campus.
You have a very young squad, is that a handicap for going far in the Champions League?
LUIS ENRIQUE. What experience do we need? I have experience in the Champions League? You can win and not have experience. I don’t put limits on my players: having experience or playing good football? I see experienced players making mistakes.
Are you replacing Kylian Mbappé by multiplying the goalscorers?
I think it’s important to evaluate the present. This is done through the team project defined last season. We have to wait until the end of the season to draw conclusions, maybe several seasons. What I see so far, I like. I made the right decision in coming to PSG.
Do you consider yourself one of the big favourites for the Champions League?
We will fight in every match. The difficulty will be maximum. The calendar will not be an excuse.
Is your team playing the way you like?
Coaches are selfish. If you play well, it’s because of the coach. If they lose, it’s the players’ fault. To evaluate a team, you have to wait a few months to see how it evolves.
The new format of the Champions League has raised eyebrows over the overloaded schedule. Is it a health risk?
The schedule with two or four more games is heavier but we will have to wait before analyzing all that.
How are you preparing for the reception of Girona, an opponent unknown to your players?
We prepare the matches according to what we want to do. Girona will contest the ball with us. This team can do it. We prepare it in the same way as the top level matches.
Marco Asensio is your preference. Why does he come before Randal Kolo Muani?
I like all the players to hang on, to want to play. When I see the last training session, I could use the six forwards at my disposal. Versatility is essential and they all have that. I can rely on all of them. The season will be long and the player must get it into his head that we will be able to call on him at some point.
What do you like best about your job as a coach, apart from the results?
What do I like the most? The day I like the most is the match day. I like the competition, I like the uncertainty before the match, all the steps before, the relationship with my players. I really like my relationship with my players.
Do you have the same weight as in Barcelona?
You always have influence in the teams you work for. For better or for worse. At Barça, my work was great. We created a union in an incredible team. But it was already built. Here, we wanted to create something, our own stars by trying to convince young players on how to play. Here, it’s a more malleable project. I have more influence in Paris with the president and Luis Campos to create this structure, to develop this project. I am very motivated. I am delighted with the club’s confidence and I try to return that confidence.
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