2024-01-02 15:03:34
The book for 2024 has only just opened and PSG already has the opportunity to win the first title of the season during the Champions Trophy played against Toulouse, this Wednesday evening (8:45 p.m.), at Princes Park. Present at a press conference this Tuesday noon at the PSG Campus, Luis Enrique said he was particularly excited at the idea of playing this meeting which could allow him to increase his prize list. On this occasion, the Spaniard confirmed the presence of Achraf Hakimi and Kang-In Lee. He also spoke about the first steps of Lucas Beraldo and left the door open to the arrival of new recruits during this winter transfer window.
You have the opportunity to win your first title with PSG, what would winning this Champions Trophy mean?
LUIS ENRIQUE. It’s true, tomorrow we have this opportunity to play a match to win a title, it’s always a great motivation. It is our goal to conquer all the titles. This would be the first trophy which would come, in particular, from the work carried out by Galtier’s staff. We are in good spirits. We are very motivated.
Is it special to play a song at this time of year, just after the holidays?
No, nothing in particular, I would love to play a trophy every week. The motivation for a final is greater than any match. This trophy stimulates us in every possible way. The atmosphere will be very beautiful. We are pleased.
“A final is the perfect stage to see what your team is made of”
What type of match do you expect tomorrow?
We already had as a reference the match played in Toulouse in Ligue 1 at the start of the season. They are a team that knows how to do a lot of things with the ball, they manage to play in different ways. Without the ball, they are capable of being dominant. It’s a team that works well. They will make our lives more complicated. I think our motivation is very high, but theirs is just as high. It’s going to be a complicated match, a difficult final for everyone. Every time you play in a final, it means that you played well last season. A final is the perfect stage to see what your team is made of. As the minutes go by, you can’t control everything, it’s going to be a good example of what a final is. It’s very stimulating for us.
Do you feel any particular excitement before this meeting?
It’s very stimulating, more than usual. For the supporters, it must be the same thing. It’s a possibility of having an additional title. Clubs like PSG live for these kinds of matches, it’s the ideal training to prepare for what happens for the rest of the season.
How do you plan to manage the Mbappé file, who is at the end of his contract next June?
How will I manage? As I have always done until now.
Have you set a deadline for this file to be resolved?
This is not a theme that depends on me. I am not the person who decides this.
“Luis Enrique’s PSG, you will know what it is at the end of the season”
How did the first steps of new recruit Lucas Beraldo go?
Well, Lucas is our first recruit of the winter. He was able to train with us. When we recruit a player, we collect as much information as possible on a sporting level but not only that. There is an important component: that the players have a personality, a fighting mentality and that they are professional. Beraldo is someone who meets all of his prerequisites. He is very good offensively, defensively, very good with the ball. He is a very interesting player for the future.
Was Beraldo’s arrival linked to the long absences of Nuno Mendes and Presnel Kimpembe?
No, that has nothing to do with it. We are perhaps a little tight in terms of the number of defenders but Nuno and Presnel will recover. They are very high level players. The arrival of Beraldo responds to an opportunity that we see in players. It’s a complicated transfer window. With Lucas, we saw that he was a player who could help the team despite his youth and the change of continent. Our goal is to make things as easy as possible for him so that he is at our disposal. There is no rush.
Gabriel Moscardo has announced that he will have to have foot surgery. Will this absence force you to recruit another midfielder this winter?
I don’t think I can give information on players who are not yet officially at PSG. As a coach, if I can have several solutions at each position, I’m delighted. We will be attentive during this transfer window not only to the midfield. This transfer window is complicated but if there are opportunities to improve the team, then let’s go for it.
What can we wish you for this year 2024? An interview in French by the end of the season?
(Laughs). Very difficult. I don’t know, it’s difficult I swear. I’m happy with the team, I’m going at my own pace but when it comes to learning French, it’s harder than I thought. I’m very motivated but it’s complicated. The season started six months ago. Luis Enrique’s PSG, you will know what it is at the end of the season. We are at the start of the second part of the season, but it is at the end that we will be able to judge the season and analyze it.
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