
Luis Enrique slams Dembele's comments, prioritizing club over players after PSG's stunning defeat. The coach addresses wastefulness and controversial remarks.
It was a Luis Enrique, ultimately more upset with Ousmane Dembele and his post-match comments than with his team's performance, who appeared in the press conference after Rennes vs. PSG (1-3).
The coach did not criticize his squad; rather lamented the enormous wastefulness in the final action.
A week ago, you were fantastic against Marseille. You appeared to struggle greatly tonight. You didn't put in the same ingredients at all. Do you know why?
"It's very easy to analyze and judge that. We created the same number of expected goals as against Marseille (Editor's note: nearly 3.5). The same. The other day, against Marseille, we scored five goals, only one. It's very hard."
Ousmane Dembele made strong comments after the match. He said we must think of the club first before thinking about ourselves. What do you make of that? Is it the speech of a leader wanting to bang his fist on the table?
(In Spanish and in a very cutting tone) "I'm going to answer in Spanish. Players' reactions after the match have no value. None. Neither do coaches', but even less so players'. I will not answer any question or statement from a player. I will never let a player put himself before the club. So that's clear." (He deliberately raises his voice) "The person responsible for the team is me. I will never allow a player to think he is more important than the club, than me, than the sporting director, or than the club president. So players' statements are worthless. They are the product of a certain end-of-match anger. I think things are very clear. Sorry, we unfortunately don't have a translator today."
Do you think the fact of having only one match per week to play for some time now could have an impact on your team's performances and efficiency?
"No, I think today, we lacked efficiency, clearly. We created many chances in the first half, including three very clear ones. We went into the locker room trailing 1-0. In the second half, we created more chances than the opponent, but we missed those opportunities; we lacked efficiency in those moments. Rennes, on the contrary, played a very good match; they put in intensity... Unlike us, they created fewer chances, but they scored three goals. They deserved to win."
How and why does the lack of efficiency explain itself?
"That's what's wonderful about football. It depends on individual quality, it depends on explanation, it depends on many things. And that's why football is wonderful. In the last match, we had as many chances, and we scored five goals. And today, we scored only one goal. That's the worst part for us because you score fewer goals than the opponent and you have to accept it."
On Desire Doue's chance, wasn't there a little excess of ease?
"Individualizing after a defeat is not my style. But we must improve, we must improve individually. We're arriving at the best moment of the season... And after this performance, we must make decisions. Important decisions because we want to continue winning, and to do that, we must improve."
How do you explain that this season, you have more difficulty stringing together totally convincing matches back-to-back?
"Today, efficiency was lacking; that's clear, since we created many chances. When you play away against a very good team like Rennes, and you've done the work in terms of creation... We could have led on the scoreboard, and we could have equalized at 2-2 twice with clear chances, but we missed. And when that happens, the opponent takes advantage. I repeat: they scored three goals, we only scored one, they deserve to win."
This is your third defeat in 2026; it's not often. Does it bother you? Are there known reasons?
"It's the same for all coaches. If you win, you're very good. If you lose or you miss... (he doesn't finish his sentence). We know that."
But what's the meaning for you? What does it mean?
"For me, in these moments, it's a shame. Because you struggle a lot, you make a lot of effort to gain confidence. But this type of match is dangerous because you gain confidence, and it's not easy to overcome that afterward. But we're arriving at the Champions League moment, with two matches against Monaco, which has already beaten us (1-0 defeat at Stade Louis II). We know it will be difficult and that we must improve."
Last season, you scored nine goals against Rennes, but only one goal. Do you think your players underperformed? Wasn't there also a lack of seriousness because they became overconfident?
"Against Rennes? But do you remember the result of the first leg match in Paris?" (no response) "5-0. But today, I think we did the job. Then, it's not easy to play away, and we weren't very efficient tonight. Everything depends (on the day), and it's very complicated..."
Speaking of which, you mentioned the Champions League next week. Aren't you worried about all this?
"No, I am 'very' worried, of course. Worried every day. Because I want us to improve. I expect much more from my players; I demand more from them. That's why we sought to prepare for the match in the best way. It's a shame because in the Classique, we were very precise with the chances created, but today it was the opposite, very clearly. And if you only score one goal, you lose the match. That's how it works..."
Join The Conversation
Roundtablesports is Free to join! You can post your own thoughts, comment on articles, and start conversations with our Roundtable Writers. Scroll up to the top of the page and click 'Join'.
Download the FREE Roundtable APP, and get even easier access to your favourite teams and news!


