The coach of Paris Saint-Germain, Luis Enriquespoke to the media on the eve of the match that will see the Parisians face the Nantes on the 14th matchday of Ligue 1. The Asturian coach avoided commenting on Kylian Mbappé’s situation, given that he is no longer part of the rossoblù world, also focusing on the complicated situation in the Champions League.
First words: “Despite what they say and what you hear around, I’m happy with the team. I’m positive.” Secondly, the journalists’ attempt to clear him up on the Mbappé case: “Nice try (laughs, ed.). You know that I’m not talking about any player who doesn’t wear the PSG shirt.”
Whether Ligue 1 can help him prepare for the Champions League: “Without any doubt. What makes you think that Ligue 1 has no level? Look where Monaco, Brest and Lille are in the Champions League. As for some time now, for A, for B and for C, everything is negative, but I try to see it from a positive point of view. And tomorrow against Nantes it will be important to observe the behavior for the Champions League.”
Players’ mistakes: “I could do it (comment on them, ed.), but I would break the pact with the players. The dirty laundry is washed in the locker room. I’m quite permissive, but the objective I work towards is very clear. There is no room for negotiation. They will have to wait to see my decisions.” Come on results in the Champions League: “I’m always confident. Qualifying for the Champions League is totally undeserved. We deserve to have, at least, nine points. But I don’t hide behind this. We need to improve our effectiveness. I’m not negative in any case. What I saw in Monaco I liked it. I repeat, there are all things to improve, but in no case am I pessimistic.”
Whether the Champions League can influence the morale of the locker room: “What has an impact, not me, because I don’t read the press. It is clear that everything that is said around affects the team and the players. Because we are human beings and it affects us. It is a similar situation to that of last year I think we are performing better than last season, in which we were one of the four best teams in Europe. This year, no one can say that we are not in that selection of teams.”
What can Gonçalo Ramos bring: “These are different situations in the game, it also depends on the opponent. Neither playing with a false 9 is the solution nor with a 9 is the solution, it also depends on the player’s form. I will continue to play with a 9 or a false 9” . The ability to adapt to the opponent: “No, no. I don’t adapt to the opponent. Adapt to the opponent, to Bayern? We pressed them as usual. I haven’t seen any team that bothered them as much as we did. You, clearly, analyze based on the result , which is understandable. I repeat, I really liked the match. We went to Munich to win, even if the opponent was more effective.”
Going back to the defeat against Bayern: “I repeat. We pressed them, they lost a lot of balls… It’s clear that we could have improved some phases of the game. I’m satisfied with what I saw. Every defeat, every match, gives the coach a lot of information.” As for the his responsibility in the project: “I take responsibility for the defeats. The victories belong to the players, I’ve been saying this since the beginning of the season. The difficult part is what the players do. The victory belongs to them. We know it and that’s how it works. I make the players responsible in private, not in public. Many decisions I make, which no one understands, I make based on what I see from a player during training, in matches…”.