Luis Enrique is not ready. Not at all ready to see his team, already champion of France and which only has the final of the Coupe de France against Lyon on May 25, let this end of the season slip away. At a press conference before the match in Nice on Tuesday, the Parisian coach sent a very clear message to his group: “Each match must be played with very high standards. Not all players can play at PSG. The attitude, the commitment, the behavior must be at the top. Anyone who is not prepared for this, who has individual priorities, will not interest me and will not play for PSG,” he said, with a dark look.
“I want to see my team at the maximum, and if someone doesn’t see things like that, they won’t be at PSG in the future. (…) I need motivated boys, he added. They don’t all have this mentality. It’s not enough to kick the ball and you have to be a different player. And few are like that, we’ll see which ones are up to the task in Nice. »
Sans Mbappe, Dembele, Nuno Mendes, Hakimi.
A very offensive speech in a specific context. As he publicly indicated, the Spaniard did not like the setback against Toulouse (1-3) on Sunday at all. The content, very weak, but above all certain indolent attitudes perceived during the match. Luis Enrique made this clear to his players in the locker room. A harsh tone which found an extension in the session at the start of the week where the technician did not let his group miss anything. With a very high volume.
As if he really wanted to get his message of firmness across, the technician reduced the group convened this Wednesday evening in Nice to twenty players. Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé, officially placed in the medical bulletin by PSG, did not make the trip to the Côte d’Azur. Just like Achraf Hakimi, Nuno Mendes and Randal Kolo Muani. Players placed on rest? Partly. The former Nantais man is in treatment today (crutch). But Luis Enrique sent a clear message with these summons. He intends to field players this Wednesday evening in Nice that he considers 100% in terms of investment.
