2023-12-12 21:43:35
Unlike Marquinhos, his captain, who had preceded him in front of the microphones, Luis Enrique did not necessarily recognize the place this Tuesday evening, when he entered Signal Iduna Park for the press conference on the eve of match. The last time he officially visited Dortmund, the stadium was still called Westfalenstadion. It was in March 1998 during the UEFA Super Cup that Barça, winner of the Cup of Cups, won against Borussia, winner of the Champions League. A happy outcome that the PSG coach hopes, twenty-five years later, to experience again during this final meeting which will determine the European future of PSG on the European scene.
With the absence of Dembélé, do you want to see Lee again tomorrow on the right?
LUIS ENRIQUE. I would first like to inform you that Gonçalo Ramos will not be in training due to a little flu that broke out last night. We will see depending on the evolution if he can be there tomorrow. For the rest, I respect the question you asked me but Ousmane will not play tomorrow. In his absence we will have to use other players in his position, I am happy with the performance of those who played. We will see tomorrow.
How will you be able to compensate for the absence of Ousmane Dembélé whose qualities as a destabilizing player you praise? And, in fact, do you expect Kylian Mbappé to take more responsibility?
Responsibilities in a football team are always distributed. They do not depend on one, two or three individuals. Football is a team sport. With the high-quality squad I have, it’s easier to find solutions to replace those who are absent. I will never complain about the absence of a player.
What are the signs that tell you that your team will have a great match tomorrow?
The same ones I have every match. We scored in all the Champions League matches. It should be the same, we want to win, finish first and have a very complete match.
Have you had discussions with President Al-Khelaïfi or Luis Campos about this decisive match?
The big clubs play big matches every month. We want to play, the players too, they have this desire. I am in constant contact with the president and Luis Campos. We haven’t changed anything. We want to keep the objectives that are ours.
PSG has never been transferred to the Europa League since the arrival of QSI. Does this possibility make you dizzy?
I focus more on the positive aspect. In a very difficult group, our future still depends on ourselves. IF we look at the negative side, we can have problems. So we can win this match and we will win it.
Do you feel the pressure of elimination and fear for your future if everything doesn’t go as planned?
Be positive, my friends, be positive!
Is it the fact of giving fewer gifts that you especially expect from your team this Wednesday evening?
When evaluating a match it’s easy to find arguments. The most important thing is to follow our plan, not to be put under pressure. If you don’t want pressure, you shouldn’t sign for a big club, whether you are a player or a coach. We have no problem with pressure, we will try to manage it as best as possible to win this match.
Since the start of the season, you have said that qualification will be decided in the last match. Was it a bet?
The logic in a death group is that the differences are tiny. We could have won or lost every match. We arrive at the last match, only Borussia is qualified, the other two teams do not have their destiny in their hands, while we do. We had difficulties in away matches in the Champions League, it’s true. But the objective does not change. We know that there will be a very good team up front and that it will be difficult.
Twenty-four hours before this final-like match, how do we work on the mentality of the troops?
It’s an easy match to play, the kind of match where I don’t have to motivate the players. On the contrary, we must rather calm them down. Everyone wants to play, to show their level, their desire. They will fly to practice because they all want to play. Passion must be controlled. We know all the issues, we will work on this with the experience of big matches that we have.
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