In French most of the time, Luis Enrique answered journalists’ questions on Friday, on the eve of the quarter -final of the Club World Cup on Saturday against Bayern.
The feeling of revenge mentioned by the players after the defeat in November in Munich : «For me, it’s a little different. I have no feelings of revenge. Revenge what? From a match in the league? No revenge for me. It is a motivating match because it is a quarter -final of a new competition. And it’s enough to be motivated. No revenge for me.»
Defeat against Bayern in the shape of a click : «I said that? I don’t remember (laughs). I talk a lot with you (smile). It’s easy to say where I think there may have been a click, but throughout the season, we saw the improvement of the team. At the start of the season, there was a lack of efficiency, especially in the Champions League. We saw the improvement. I do not know where the click was but I am happy with the season and the performance of the team throughout the campaign.»
Read too
Club World Cup: “I’m 100% to start,” insists Dembélé before PSG-Bayern
Pass advertising
Ousmane Dembélé ready to start : «He did all the week of training with the group. These sessions give me a lot of information and I am happy to see Ousmane with the team. We’ll see. Now is not the time to give information to the opponent. We’ll see tomorrow.»
If he needed to motivate players after this long week : «It was very long (since the last match) to be honest. Six days ago, it’s a lot, especially at this time of the season, but we had a very good week of training, we did the job well, and I think the team is ready to fight. It will be a difficult match against Bayern, one of the best teams in Europe and this competition. We can see a very beautiful match.»
La Mort de di diogo Jota : «This is the worst news that can be received. Everyone in football is affected. I cannot imagine what his loved ones and his family can feel. We just want to send them our support, but there is nothing that can soften the trouble. There is only time to cure this. Obviously, we are very sad for the Portuguese players who played with him and his teammates. It’s life, you have to accept it, it’s hard.»
I don’t think we will have as much control as usual.
Luis Enrique
The key to the match : «We will see tomorrow. We know Bayern very well, not only because we played them, but we know their profile, their coach, the players … They are similar to us as a team for the desire to have the ball and the behavior to the loss. It will be an open match. I don’t think we will have as much control as usual. So it will be a more open and potentially interesting match to follow. It is an exciting test for us. We want to pass it, move forward in competition and we are motivated for that. We are aware of their level. We are on a good dynamic in the past few months and we want to continue on this path.»
The balance between pleasure and efforts : «It’s easy and complicated at the same time. As a coach, I transmit a great idea, whether in club or in selection, I always ask for a game based on the show. People do not go to the cinema or to the theater to be bored. They want to have fun. And in football, basketball or other sports, you can offer entertainment and spectacle too. There is therefore a question of what is expected of each other. We start all the training sessions with the same idea. 90% of the time, we train with the ball. Obviously, there is defensive work, it is not as attractive. But each coach must do so according to his interests. I am from Barcelona school, where everything revolves around possession. So that’s what I try to transmit. All the teams I have trained for 10 years have tried to do the same thing. Some managers their team better than others. But the key has always been to win by playing good football.»
Read too
Club World Cup: “I do not understand that people criticize this competition”, blows the president of PSG Nasser Al-Khelaïfi
Pass advertising
The lawn : «Worse than the match against Inter Miami (which was played in the same stadium, editor’s note). I hope that tomorrow (Saturday), it can improve with watering. We’ll see.»
Mark the story : «We all want to go as far as possible in the competition and be in a position to lift the trophy. But we are only in the quarterfinals, we meet a team of our level. We are sure to be ready. It will also be hard for both teams.»
You have to be unpredictable for the opponent and predictable for yourself.
Luis Enrique
If the current system can allow PSG to continue winning : «It is not a system question. It is not as if we determine a training and that’s it, it works. That’s not it. You have to be unpredictable for the opponent and predictable for yourself. It is not a system but a collective idea of play. It’s more complicated than that. We find our motivation in the idea of being unpredictable. That’s the key.»
Bradley Barcola who would be courted by Bayern : «Who knows what can happen to the transfer window … Obviously, we like the fact that other teams appreciate our players, but we rely on young players, especially French players. Bradley Barcola was a key player for us this season. He was criticized a lot in Paris. It’s his second season at the club. It happened to other young players. It’s part of the individual progression process. Of course, I hope he will stay in Paris for many years. And that’s what he also wants, I have no doubt about it.»
Interview at a press conference
