Paris Saint-Germain is preparing to play the final match of a historic year 2025, the most beautiful in the club’s history. To conclude this epic episode, the capital club has an appointment with the Coupe de France, facing a National 3 team, Vendée Fontenay Foot at La Beaujoire. At a press conference, Luis Enrique spoke of his attachment to this competition before this 32nd final. The Spanish coach also returned to the injury of Matvey Safonov, who suffers from a broken left hand.
Question: Can you tell us the circumstances of Safonov’s injury?
LUIS HENRY. I can’t explain it. It’s incredible but the player doesn’t know how it happened. We think it was the 3rd shot on goal, he made a strange movement. He has a fracture, he stopped the last two penalties. It is believed that the adrenaline was so strong that he stopped these penalties without any pain. It’s karma. What the players showed, like Safonov, was to be ready to do anything to help the team. This is the mentality that we expect from players who are at PSG and who can come.
It’s a hard blow for him after his good period.
I can’t speak with him yet, but everyone accepts the positive, but no one wants the negative. It’s karma. Normally, when there are negative things, you can learn a lot. He had a very good match and the last four matches he played, life told him that he had to rest, recover and accept that. With his mentality, he will come back faster than average.
Could Renato Marin be started for the first time?
We will do as usual. I give this information to the players first and then you will know.
Do you realize the season you just had?
We enjoy every moment, every day, every workout. We will look to take advantage of tomorrow’s match. When you do things because you like playing football, at PSG, that’s the key to continuing in the future in a positive way. We analyzed the final, we played very well, we defended very well. This is the difference between a great team and the others.
What importance do you attach to the Coupe de France?
The Coupe de France, the Coupe du Roi in Spain, it’s a wonderful competition. She has the ability to bring together teams from different categories. When you get to the final, it’s one of the most attractive matches to play. I particularly like this competition. It’s important to perform well.
Will the Titis have playing time in the Coupe de France? Could young Eddy Doué be used during the second part of the season?
I am not going to talk about each Titi individually. They know they always have to be ready, but we don’t want to put pressure on them. There is a lot of accumulated fatigue, problems, it’s normal for professionals. We will see who the players are in the best conditions for this Cup match, but the Titis will be there.
How do you manage competition between your players?
These are the players who know that every minute with the PSG jersey is important. As a coach, I watch this very carefully, every training session. When a team is able to win a lot of trophies in a lot of competitions, it shows that we are a real team. Supporters can see that we defend important values in life.
Do you think that being at PSG will help Ibrahim Mbaye approach his first African Cup of Nations?
If we look at the age, the experience gained each year, we have a very young team. Flamengo was more experienced than us. But I don’t think it’s a problem that they are young because they have technical quality. Mbaye has the experience from last year, he played a lot. I’m happy that he’s playing the CAN, it’s important for him, to gain experience and improve as a player. It’s an important time, we’re happy to have the Christmas holidays, it’s important to have some rest for friends and family.
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