Luis Enrique will undoubtedly keep his first French clasico in mind for a long time. For his very first time at the Vélodrome as coach of Paris Saint-Germain, the Spaniard was a hit. Although reduced to ten men for almost an hour following the expulsion of Beraldo, Paris won by two goals (0-2). Satisfied with the heart put by his flock in the battle, Luis Enrique did not comment on the performance of Kylian Mbappé, erased during the match, nor on his tense expression during his replacement shortly after the hour mark.
You must be proud of your team tonight?
LUIS ENRIQUE. I’m happy with the result, because it’s a clasico and it gives joy to our supporters. It’s a stadium in which the atmosphere is special, the pressure is enormous and where OM were undefeated this season. We are faithful to our principles which consist of winning as many titles as possible without calculating. Now, it is time to turn to recovery and think about the match against Rennes (Wednesday, Coupe de France semi-final at the Parc des Princes).
Did you have any explanations regarding Beraldo’s expulsion?
I have a habit of not judging refereeing decisions. I tell myself that if there had been VAR, they would have seen something. I, who was right next to it, did not see this fault. Was there an error? I don’t know. I don’t ask anything, I don’t criticize anything, I rather try to put myself in the referee’s shoes.
“We didn’t play at our level in the first half, we weren’t in a good position”
Your first French clasico went rather well for you. It was less good for Kylian Mbappé. How did you judge his performance and his release?
I particularly like these atmospheres, when it’s a little hot like that, that’s why you become a football player and a coach. These are matches that give strong feelings. For the rest, I found that we did not play at our level in the first half, that we were not well positioned. That’s my responsibility. The players made technical errors that they don’t usually make, which explains why we only had two chances. In the second half, I am happy with the solidarity shown and the attitude, especially that shown by the players coming off the bench. We need everyone to be stronger. We played in a different style but it went well.
At the time of his exit, Mbappé allegedly made insulting remarks. Do you know if they were addressed to you?
(he marks a long silence) I saw nothing, saw nothing at all.
“Vitinha knows how to fix, play between the lines, stand out, shoot, score, be dangerous”
Why did you put Ousmane Dembélé back in a central midfielder role?
I could explain it to you but it’s not necessary in my eyes. There is always this desire to surprise the opponent and one of the solutions for this is to change his position. Moreover, Ousmane had a great opportunity in the first period. There are always things to improve, but I liked what I saw in terms of space occupancy and changes. If we don’t know where Dembélé, Mbappé, Lee or Ramos are going to play, it’s always to surprise the opponent, you’ll see it more and more. We must be unpredictable for the opponent.
How important is Vitinha for Paris and what do you like about his game?
He is a quality player, perfect for my style of play. He adapts to our style of possession, I don’t like it when we lose the ball. He has all the qualities you could want in a midfielder. He knows how to set, play between the lines, stand out, shoot, score, be dangerous… When you have a player in this state of form, you can only congratulate him. I congratulate him, I hope he will continue like this and do even better because I think there is plenty of room for improvement for him. »
