“I would like to have three Kylian Mbappé in the team”: Luis Enrique’s impossible dream for PSG

2023-12-02 15:47:08

This Sunday, PSG travels to Le Havre for the 14th day of the French championship. The capital club has a leadership position to defend and an image to redeem after its miraculous draw last Tuesday against Newcastle (1-1) in the Champions League. Luis Enrique was at a press conference this Saturday from the Poissy campus. He mentioned the next winter transfer window.

PSG drew against Newcastle. Do you have a problem with finishing, as Kylian Mbappé regretted?

LUIS ENRIQUE. If we have a finishing problem, what do the others have? We create opportunities. It’s a game of mistakes. I would be concerned if we didn’t create chances. It’s just football: we sometimes miss goals. When we miss, it’s the player’s problem but I will never criticize him like I will never criticize a goalkeeper who makes a mistake. We would have a problem if we never had chances. The question is just: are we inspired or are we not inspired?

Is there not an imbalance between Kylian Mbappé, author of 17 goals, and the following scorers, Randal Kolo Muani and Achraf Hakimi, who only have 4?

I would like to have three Kylian Mbappé in the team but it is not possible. Last year there were international stars in the team and the goals were better distributed. Many can score goals behind Kylian Mbappé. We are not dependent on Kylian Mbappé. Or rather yes, we are dependent on Kylian Mbappé. Which team in the world would not be dependent on Kylian Mbappé? He will score 50 goals or more every season. But behind there are several players, four, who can score five each and that’s already 20.

Do you think attackers have a mental block in the Champions League?

You can say whatever you want.

Could Manuel Ugarte’s performance be due to the absence of Warren Zaire-Emery?

I am not making a link between the absence of one player and the performance of the other. With my very high level squad, some will play well, others will play less well. We need to be more compact. The distances between lines must be reduced. If we expand, Manuel will suffer, the environments will suffer. Busquets, the same. If we don’t support the attacks, we will suffer. Manuel is a surprise. You don’t know a player before you see him. He’s a very good recruit.

What do you think of Cher Ndour who we rarely see?

He is very young, he is 20 years old, he is an Italian International Hopeful. He would be a starter in any team in Ligue 1. He is a very good example and he belongs to the future of the club.

The less possession you have, the more effective you are: do you want to dominate matches less?

Aren’t we going to be dominant tomorrow (Sunday)? Want to bet? I think we will dominate in Le Havre. We generally have 70% possession. I seek to dominate. As a coach, I would like us to be in the opposing camp all the time, creating opportunities and for the opponent to have none. We are at the beginning of the project and I am very happy with my team. My team will play according to my ideas.

Do you already have in mind who will replace the suspended Ousmane Dembélé at Dortmund?

No, I didn’t even think about it. He is suspended because of a ridiculous yellow card. I only think of Le Havre. Le Havre does not play like Dortmund so we cannot present it in the same way.

At number 9, there is an alternation between Gonçalo Ramos and Randal Kolo Muani?

Kolo and Ramos are two typical strikers. Perhaps Kolo has more ease playing on the side while Gonçalo is more of a surface number nine. But they are both powerful options. Obviously there are phases where we can improve, help them more. But my choices are not linked to the team opposite but to the situations that I think we will encounter. In any case, I’m happy with what they give us.

Do you want to recruit during the winter transfer window when you say you have a complete and talented squad?

We always have to work and think about improving our squad but that is not done publicly. But you always have to improve your squad if there are opportunities. If there are interesting profiles or positions, we go there. When I celebrate my squad, it’s sincere.

Do you think the criticism of Bradley Barcola is fair?

We just look at the statistics sometimes but 70% of Ousmane Dembélé’s actions create goals. And afterwards, we only talk about his lack of statistics in front of goal. Concerning Bradley Barcola, he is a spectacular player who has the ability to create superiority, actions, goals. I’m delighted we signed him. I don’t agree with the criticisms about him. I watched a Michael Jordan video on YouTube. He said he missed 9,000 shots. What is important is to dare. Congratulations to Bradley Barcola! It’s a wonder to have it.