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PAUL JALDO
Updated
He PSG faces one of the most complicated games in the competition this weekend in the league. This Sunday they will receive Olympique de Lyon, in a match that the Parisians come to after achieving the much-needed victory in the Champions League, against Salzburg (0-3). Luis Enrique He has appeared before the media and has assessed both the latest events related to the club and the challenges they will have to face soon.
About the victory against Salzburg in the Champions League. “It was a complicated game, playing away from home always is, especially in the Champions League and with the need for points. We played a very complete game from the beginning to the end. It was a great reinforcement for us.”
There are good feelings with the players. “The best feeling I have is that the level of training has risen, because the player perceives that he has to be prepared for all the competitions. An intense and difficult schedule, but very motivating and that makes many players who recover of injury and generate competition, it causes everyone to train better and we can prepare even better for games.”
The match against Lyon will be difficult, we hope to be up to the task
Luis Enrique
The match against Lyon will be very complicated. “We know them very well. In addition, being one of the club’s historic rivals, they are a team that has an important history. They have a lot of quality in attack and manage the ball very well, with positioning on the field that complicates your pressure. It will be “A very difficult game, but our goal is to continue improving. We hope to be up to par in the Parc des Princes, with our fans.”
On whether Achraf Hakimi is in his footballing prime. “No. My goal is to take all players out of their comfort zone, those who play a lot, those who play little. We want all players to give more. Of course Achraf Hakimi is doing well, but he can do it even better. That’s my goal. I want to see the best of Achraf Hakimi, of Willian Pacho, of Marquinhos… We want the best version of everyone and that sometimes means making unpopular decisions and taking people out of their comfort zone. “
I am not Dembélé’s father, nor his brother, nor his ‘bro’, I am his coach
Luis Enrique
His relationship with Dembélé. “I have the same relationship as with all the players. I am the coach, not his father, not his brother, not his ‘bro’. I am his coach. And that means that I must take all my players out of their comfort zone. A “Those who play a lot and those who don’t play. That’s how I’ve always done it and it’s going great and I’m not going to change.”
Nuno Mendes’ position. “Our goal is to improve our team and have better performance. That does not mean that we cannot return to the construction triangle. Everyone must have the ability to help the team when necessary and most opportune. Of course he can play later, but That doesn’t mean I can’t play further back.”
About Lyon’s main danger. “The danger for Lyon is that they are capable of having the ball and having high levels of possession because they have very good players individually.”
We want the best version of everyone and that sometimes means making unpopular decisions and taking people out of their comfort zone.
Luis Enrique
The influence of Barcola. “Bradley has been decisive in all the games. He is judged by decisive passes or goals, but football is a much more complex sport. A player can be key without scoring or assisting. The important thing is that the eleven attacks or defends together. That’s the goal. What I told Bradley and the other players at the beginning of the season: in the team, who scores, we don’t care at all.”
About the recovery and accumulation of matches. “In everything that concerns the medical issue we are in a good situation with all the players who have returned. We review the physical level based on what we see. “Each case is particular.”
On whether the position they have in the Champions League is fair. “Who cares if it’s deserved or not? No one. That’s our classification, it’s reality. We accept it and think about how to reverse the situation. Fair or not… That doesn’t matter.”
We accept our position in the Champions League, it doesn’t matter if it is fair or not
Luis Enrique
The match against Botafogo on the horizon. “We have an intense schedule. The Club World Cup will be next summer. We will arrive a little mentally tired but it will be something else. It is very far away. Yes, the competition excites me but it is very far away.”
The variety and versatility of the playing style. “If you always do the same thing, the opponent adapts. If we take all the short corners, the opponent adapts. You have to change. That’s what being a coach means: constantly changing so that the opponent thinks you’re going to do one thing, and so on. make a different one.”
This is my best season as a coach
Luis Enrique
The balance of the season so far. “Statistically it is my best season as a coach. Whatever you say, it is my best season in terms of numbers, in chances generated, in chances received. The best of my career and I have had very successful seasons. There were many journalists who said that “We didn’t even have the best squad in France. It’s a growth process that depends on the ability to overcome problems. We don’t depend on any particular player, just on the team. “And I see that the level of training is increasing.”
About the improvement of the team with Lucas Hernández. “It is possible, yes. His case is an atypical case. I have only seen one case like him in which I see him in a week on a physical level, sometimes even superior to certain players who, however, are doing very well. We can’t give him 90 minutes right away, we have to incorporate him into the competition little by little, but in Salzburg it was a perfect moment in terms of the result and the context. And Lucas really wants to play, he has a very good physical attitude. “It’s wonderful.”
I have confidence in the players I have now
Luis Enrique
On whether to strengthen in the winter market. “We are prepared for all the opportunities that arise in the transfer market. But it is always difficult to improve this squad. We are not going to bring players to expect improbable things. The winter market is complicated. I have confidence in the players I have now. We will try take advantage of them. Ensure that those who play little can enter the rotation. I really like what I see.”
