It was a smiling and even slightly joking Luis Enrique who presented himself at a press conference this Monday, on the eve of the Champions League match against Sporting Lisbon.
In what areas can your team still improve?
LUIS ENRIQUE. We are in the important phase of the season. We hope to recover injured players. We have to prepare well for this meeting, be attentive, it is an important moment in the Champions League too, where there are two matches remaining. We are going to play in an exceptional stadium, against a difficult team, who like to have the ball and defend very well. It will perhaps be a little similar to what we experienced in Bilbao. We knew the difficulty of our schedule from the start, the objective is to win tomorrow to ensure qualification for the round of 16.
Why is it so important to qualify right away?
This is important for the confidence of the team. But that doesn’t mean it’s better either. This calendar will miss the four matches of the Coupe de France after our elimination, but it is important to win, that’s what I think. Even if that doesn’t mean it will be better afterwards.
How do you explain that your team transcends itself in the Champions League?
There is no better competition to show the level of the team. I can understand that my players like to play this type of match. However, I find that the team’s trajectory is the same, regardless of the competition. It’s like last season, in my opinion. We had difficulties at the start in the Champions League, because we lacked efficiency, but, in my opinion, I see the same thing. And that’s the most important thing.
How is Ousmane Dembélé decisive in his ability to press the opponent?
Ousmane is a leader on the pitch. It’s great to see a player show so many individual qualities, but also in his ability to press the opponent. He is ready every time to press the defender or the goalkeeper. It’s an example and I’m very happy to see him again at this level.
What do you think of the four Portuguese you coach?
I have the chance to work with Nuno, Gonçalo, Vitinha and Joao, but also a sports director (Luis Campos) who is Portuguese. It’s very easy to train these four players, because they are very professional. It’s a real pleasure to have them, I’m very lucky.
“Hakimi, we pay him a lot of money like all the other players, so he will come back”
What do you have to say about the panenka missed by Brahim Diaz in the CAN final?
We talked about it on the bus. Everyone is talking about Brahim Diaz today, but even Zidane, your God, did it in a big match (2006 World Cup final). Great players have attempted this move. When you succeed, we applaud, but when you fail, we criticize you. He’s a magnificent player, who I know because I had him once in the Spanish selection. I understand that it’s difficult, but you have to accept it because it’s still sport. The most important thing is the values that you can show to the youngest. Nothing should be exaggerated, it’s not an assassination either.
Are you afraid of finding Achraf Hakimi impacted by what he has just experienced?
It’s time to congratulate the winners. For Hakimi, we will have to overcome this. But that’s not important. He’s coming back soon, we’re in the competition, we pay him a lot of money like all the other players, so he’ll come back (laughs).
How does João Neves feel, who is still out of this meeting?
He doesn’t have a big injury, but we don’t want to take any risks. He developed well and if it had been a final, he could have played. But we continue with our perspective of not taking risks.
