
Luis Enrique was focused and cautious in the news conference on the eve of Chelsea vs. PSG this Monday. Not a single pretentious word, and on the contrary, much more prudence despite the total refusal to imagine any relaxation.
Q. To qualify tomorrow and not spend your time defending in the last 15 meters, what, in your opinion, is the best solution to finish the job tomorrow against Chelsea?
A. It's clear. It's clear that we only played the first match, and there is still the second. Second legs are always different, and return matches are different because a team that is out of the competition at that moment wants to prepare for the match to change that. And that's why these are different and very complicated matches, of course. We are ready; we are used to playing this type of match and encounter. And what we are thinking about is performing at our best.
Q. After Monaco, you admitted that your team was struggling. You mentioned the notion of confidence; you said your team lacked confidence. Do you have the feeling that over the last week, and especially thanks to that first leg, your team and, overall, your individuals, especially offensively, have regained confidence in their abilities?
A. Confidence is one thing; it's a special thing. What I can say is that we can be better or worse in matches. But what we are, and we've shown it throughout the season and in every Champions League knockout match, is a real team, very difficult and very tough to play against, and we are capable of playing against any very high-level team.
Q. Ousmane Dembélé spontaneously mentioned the memory of Villa Park last year to show a little bit what not to do, and that you also have to be able to suffer in this competition. Is that an example you specifically mention in your talks with your group, or on the contrary is it rather the kind of memory that should be left in the past?
A. I think it was a clear example of what a soccer match can become. We prepared the Birmingham match like the Chelsea one with the intention of winning, of scoring goals. But there will be moments during the match that will be difficult to manage, and you have to know how to control the match. But our objective is to seek to win the match. We will have moments of suffering, of course.
Q. We had Ousmane Dembélé a few moments ago. What are the leadership qualities you appreciate in the player, on the field and off it?
A. I think we've talked extensively about Ousmane during this year. For us, if I think as a coach, it's incredible to have a player like him. He has been able to change his mentality because, as we changed Ousmane's position, which was that he was a key and typical winger his whole life, he saw, and he found the possibility to change his ability to play in a different way. And as a coach, it's a real pleasure to have a player like Ousmane. But if I speak as a supporter, it's always nice when you watch a match on television and see a player like Ousmane who knows how to do everything with the ball and without it. It's a real pleasure, I repeat myself. But they are different players, and for us, it's very positive.
Q. The predictions and the statistics already give you almost a qualification for the quarterfinals. Do you see a trap in this return leg?
A. I think there are four matches with this three-goal difference. You'll see how many teams that had a three-goal lead before the match will qualify. Soccer is an incredible sport. If we remember what we did in the last match against Chelsea after eighty minutes, I think we were at 2-2 (editor's note: Vitinha had just scored the 3-2). And then we overcame Chelsea in different aspects of the game in those last minutes. But it was very balanced throughout the match. Tomorrow, we are ready to play a match in the same way, and it will be complicated. We are used to playing this type of match in the group phase; it's clear that it was different from what other teams played. But the difficulty and the suffering during the match will be there, and we must know how to manage them.
Q. Coach, we talked about the advantage PSG took in the first leg. You often say that for big games you shouldn't be at 110%. How do you prevent your team from being at 90% and having some of your players relax tomorrow?
A. No, it's impossible to have relaxation in the Champions League. Impossible! Chelsea will be able to create chances. But it's impossible to have, as you said, relaxation. Please, this is not a space (editor's note: unclear), it's a Champions League soccer match, it's impossible. But if there were equality, it would be normal. To take advantage of that moment of suffering to change the dynamic, I think that's perhaps the key. What we seek is to control matches, but these are impossible to control because it's always difficult to play this type of match, and it's very different from what we did in the first leg.
(The rest of the questions came from English journalists, hence very different themes.)
Q. I want to refer to a statement from last year, on May 7, after the match against Arsenal. You said that it's the best league, it's the Premier League, but that PSG, coming from a Farmers League, won 4 matches against English teams last year. So how do you compare PSG, which has demonstrated it can beat any team in the Premier League?
A. It was a joke, and that joke follows me all the time. But well, you know, it's always a pleasure to be able to play against English teams. It's the top level. And each time, we can show our level, our principles, our standards of play, and what we're capable of. And it was funny last year because we played almost all the English teams, and this year, it seems like it's happening again. We try to surpass, to beat all these rival teams. But otherwise, there's nothing. It was really a joke. We do our best to respect everyone, every team we face. That's our approach.
Q. Can you tell us how you lead your team, as European champions? Is it essential to have a leader?
A. Yes, it's a motivation to play and manage this kind of match in this type of environment, in full stadiums with all your fans there to push. But we, as a team defending our title, are a real motivation. We try to focus on the important things and on the details. It's very important, it's always important when you play against teams that have the same level as you. And we will try, we will do our best. We can't wait to play this kind of match. And yes, we have an advantage today, but we know it can disappear very quickly, so we have to focus on it.
Q. Last month, Chelsea said you weren't a coach who could fit Chelsea. Do you think Chelsea could be a club for you?
A. I'm playing a very important match tomorrow. I didn't really understand your question, but it doesn't matter; it's not important. I'm the coach of PSG. I'm very proud to be the coach of PSG. And that's really the most important thing today.
Q. We saw in the last match against Newcastle that the referee got caught in the middle of Chelsea's players before kickoff. If the same thing happens against you, how will you react?
A. I was a bit surprised during the last match. Liam (Rosenior) spoke about that match with great maturity. Anything can happen, but if there is respect, if everyone is respectful, the Chelsea team and the players, there will be no problem.
Q. I want to ask you something else about Liam Rosenior. It's a somewhat difficult moment; they're injured. How do you think Liam is adapting to that?
A. I have enough problems, you know. It's time to talk about tomorrow's match and PSG. I respect Liam a lot as a coach, obviously. I hope he will have a lot of success, but after tomorrow.
Q. Were you able to speak with João Pedro about what happened during the Club World Cup, about that incident after the match? And Chelsea has injury problems; they do too with their goalkeepers. Does that give you another opportunity to exploit Reece James' absence?
A. For the previous question, I was making a joke, but actually no. If I answer that with a question, with a joke, it might not work. I have nothing to add to the situation with Pedro. Regarding the second question, I focus on PSG; I have nothing to say about Chelsea.
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