He arrived with a big smile, a little “Hello” in French, a change of chairs and the Luis Enrique machine was launched. As usual, the Paris Saint-Germain coach was affable at a press conference this Monday, on the eve of his team’s entry into the Champions League against Borussia Dortmund. The former Barça coach is “impatient” to start the competition without being obsessed with a final victory.
“When a person, a team, a club is obsessed with something, it’s never good,” explained the Spaniard. You have to have hope, ambition, desire. Being obsessed with something is never good, no matter what areas of life. We really want to, yes, especially to please our supporters. » A maxim taken up by his captain, Marquinhos:
This [la Ligue des champions] It’s not an obsession, it’s not a pressure, the club has a mentality of going to fight for all the titles there are. We want to get to the top, but the path is long, we have to go step by step. It’s a group [avec Dortmund, Newcastle et le Milan AC] very difficult. »
“The attitude and behavior of the players deserve a 10/10”
The Brazilian said he was delighted with the first weeks spent with Luis Enrique: “He is a coach who has very clear objectives, he is not there to favor one competition over another. We have to do a good job every day to best approach these big matches. He is very demanding, no matter the match. He’s someone who has a lot of ideas, a lot of concepts in mind. He gives us a lot of possibilities, tactics in a match. It also gives a lot of freedom. I love working with a coach like him, who gives a lot of things to the locker room. »
Arriving this summer in the French capital, Luis Enrique said, for his part, “very satisfied” with the group he has in his possession and praised a “very receptive team who never surrendered”. “My goal is for my players to understand the way we want to play, and as quickly as possible, but it takes time. There are a lot of details to correct in football, not just with the Nice match. There is room for improvement, but there are plenty of things that the team does very well. The attitude and behavior of the players deserve a 10/10. Good football and good results will happen. »