Four days after its stunning success in Monaco in the first leg of the Champions League (3-2), PSG returns to Ligue 1 this Saturday (9:05 p.m.) with the reception of FC Metz. If this clash against the bottom of the championship is not the most complicated challenge of the season for the Parisians, they must return to success on the national scene to stay in contact with the Lensois leader. Present at a press conference, Luis Enrique did not downplay the importance of this meeting and expects a complicated evening.
How do you plan to manage this match between the Champions League play-off?
LUIS HENRY. It’s a very important match, we have to put pressure on Lens, win the three points. There is no easy match against the bottom of the championship. These are difficult matches. We need to win the match so we have to prepare well.
Does a team like Lens, which is not used to winning titles or fighting for the title, benefit from extra motivation compared to a team which has won everything?
I’m not sure, but Lens showed that it’s a real team that has won a lot of matches. She deserves to be there and it’s motivating for us. We talked among ourselves about the difficulty of winning this championship. We are on the same trajectory as the last two years but they have improved their number of victories. We will have to win a lot of matches to win this championship.
Are you reassured by Dembélé’s state of health after his injury in Monaco?
He had received a blow. We know the players perfectly and we don’t want to take any risks. We try to manage each player in the best possible way. Injuries are part of high-level football and you have to know how to take that into account.
Does the pressure put on by Lens force you to change the way you manage playing time?
What changed my mentality this season was the number of injuries we had. I can’t change many players because we had on average three or four injured players per match. I can rotate my team less. This year, we must know how to manage in the best possible way. It’s a different scenario from the last two seasons.
What is the main difference between this season and the previous one?
First of all, it’s difficult to compare between seasons. This year is special, I don’t want to make excuses. I can’t do that many rotations. But I think this team has shown resilience since I’ve been here. We can see the way we face problems. This resilience is difficult to have but we have it.
“I am happy with what I saw in Monaco because the team showed resilience”
Vitinha and Zaire-Emery have played a lot since the start of the season. Are you going to blow them away against Metz?
Warren and Vitinha are the players who have played the most minutes this season. I’m thinking of giving them a rest, but we have to beat Metz. Every time we have faced them, there have been problems and tomorrow there will be problems. I would like to give them some rest, but it will be difficult.
How do you plan to get back to a very good level of play?
What you want and I understand it, is for us to play like last season. But it’s impossible. In the last match, our team lost 2-0 and they were able to win. The way we played was incredible. I am happy with what I saw in Monaco because the team showed resilience.
How do you explain the difference in success between shots on goal and your penalties?
I know the stats. We missed penalties, that’s normal. A lot of players hit the penalties and in the very difficult moments of the penalties, we were there and we won finals. There may not be a specialist but we have a lot of players who can shoot. But at the moment there are small problems and we will overcome that thanks to the quality of my players.
What state of mind is Lucas Chevalier in?
The mentality and the way in which the three goalkeepers train is incredible. They are ready. I don’t know what will happen in the future. I’m very happy to have three goalkeepers of this level and the team has confidence with them.
