Luis Enrique dissects PSG's win, attacker woes, Barcola's new role, and the elusive "calm" at the top.
A visibly satisfied Luis Enrique met with the media after Paris Saint-Germain's 1-0 victory over Le Havre, though he stopped short of being reassured by his attackers' lack of confidence. The PSG coach addressed numerous topics and, in a sign of his contentment, discussed several individual performances including those of Bradley Barcola, Dro, Ilya Zabarnyi and Nuno Mendes.
Q: In a week like the one that just ended, what stands out to a perfectionist coach like yourself — the difficulties against Monaco and Le Havre, or the qualification and victory that puts you in a good position?
A: "What I can say, if I think about the matches we've played here against Le Havre, is that this was the most comfortable match, because I think we clearly deserved to win. We created many chances and we missed a penalty again. And at the end, we suffered because Le Havre created chances on set pieces. There was suffering, but we clearly deserved to win this match, for me."
Q: Speaking of which, you missed another penalty. Can you explain how? Does it illustrate a general lack of confidence?
A: "I think we are in a particular moment; it's not normal that we miss many clear chances. I think we have many players who can take penalties with great quality. Normally, the players who miss penalties are the ones who take them or take the shots in shootouts. It's normal, we have confidence, we will continue to look and rotate among the takers, but I'm happy because we've won many penalty shootouts. We have very good goalkeepers and very good finishers. But at the moment, it's peculiar because we're also missing penalties."
Q: Bradley Barcola played in an unusual position, as a sort of false No. 9, and he scored. He also could have had two assists for Mbaye and Lee Kang-in. What did you think of his performance, and might we see him there again in the future?
A: "Of course. We put him in a new position for him and I think he had a very good match, not only because he scored the goal, but also because of the mobility he showed. I think he had a very good match, and of course, in the future, we can see Bradley as a No. 9."
Q: You now have a four-point lead over Lens in the league, and a week with only one match to play on Friday. Do you leave Le Havre feeling more relaxed, a bit calmer?
A: "Calmer? At PSG, there is no calm match. That's not our mentality. The key moment of the season arrives and for us, every match is important. It's important to have the possibility to recover players and that's our objective: to improve because we are in a particular moment with less confidence than usual. But what we can assure our supporters is that we will try until the last minute, with all our hearts, as we have done in recent years. After that, if we are imprecise or precise, if we miss or score goals or chances, I don't know. But what we can say is that we will try to be at our level."
Q: The end of the match was quite heated, with Le Havre pushing for an equalizer. Can you explain how PSG lost control a bit at the end? Was Safonov injured? He seemed to be in pain late in the match.
A: "No, it's nothing, it was just a knock. Safonov is fine, perfect. At the end of a match, it's normal. When there's a team that plays long balls and puts five or six players in the final line, there are set pieces, fouls we committed, and corners. It's normal, you have to know how to defend, and we were convincing in that moment. Normally, that's not the case in our matches because we control the game and want to keep the ball in the opponent's half, but the opponent has something to say, and Le Havre created chances in the final minutes. We were lucky to win this match, but we deserved our victory."
Q: Nuno Mendes came on as a left winger. It's not the first time you've played him there. In your mind, is he also an offensive option and not just a defensive player?
A: "It's very simple. Nuno Mendes is like Hakimi; he can play anywhere: fullback, winger, he's a player between the lines, he's a midfielder, he's a No. 9. He can play anywhere. It's true, I've said it and I joke about it. In this match, we had difficulties with players, especially in midfield and attack (Note: he is referring to the number of absentees). Lucas Hernandez is very good; he's helping the team in every match. It's important for us to have this ability to manage the 30 minutes he played and Nuno Mendes had a very clear chance on a play from Bradley. I like having different possibilities because the team, at that moment, needed that type of player."
Q: Ilya Zabarnyi looked quite comfortable tonight. He was good against Metz and confirmed it tonight. He's doing much better. Do you agree with that observation?
A: "Of course. I like it when you speak well of Zabarnyi. He had a very good match in his last one. Today, for me, he was the best PSG player on the pitch. It's important to have players returning. And at this moment, for me as a coach, it's important to see that there are players who love the game and want to start. It's important for growing as a team."
Q: Dro is often trapped by opponents, especially today. He struggled to create separation and often missed his passes. That's somewhat the Spanish style; he likes to play in tight spaces. Did you notice this as well? And how will you help him overcome this to be more decisive in matches?
A: "We are in a moment where we have no midfielders. Dro, we are very happy he's here. He has a different quality; he's a very different player. He's the type of player that coaches who love to play very good football appreciate for his ability to combine with teammates. And he has an individual quality of a very high level. But he's 18 years old and it's normal to have problems, especially in a very physical league like Ligue 1. The first thing he said is that everyone says Ligue 1 is very easy, but when you come, you see and understand that it's not like that (laughs). But I'm very happy, he does interesting things for himself as a player, but also for the team. He played well, he helped the team today."
Q: There was a lot of pressure with Lens staying close for several weeks. Now you have a four-point lead and almost a week of rest. This could be a decisive week in preparation. How will you approach it — more rest or continuing to work even harder?
A: "It depends. It depends on what I see in training and on the minute load in the upcoming matches. But for us, it's important to have the possibility to manage that in the best way. For the matches ahead, it's the first time we're at the top of the league with a four-point lead. And when you see the level and results of Lens, especially, but also Lyon, I think it's a moment to be very happy. Today, it was important to win this match, and we will manage important matches as we always have. We will try to enjoy what we've done and the club we represent. It will be an important moment in the Champions League and we want to play that type of match."