After eight days of Ligue 1, Paris Saint-Germain are second in the standings, with one point less than Olympique de Marseille and one more than Strasbourg and Lens. Last season, at the same time, Paris took back the lead from Monaco down to the wire (tied points, but a better goal difference). However, the attractive face displayed by the Marseillais in the championship makes certain observers believe that the reigning European champions will have to work harder this season to be crowned champions of France. Others believe, on the other hand, that Luis Enrique had to deal with an avalanche of injuries (Dembélé, Doué, Marquinhos, Ruiz, Neves) and that he especially favored the Champions League.
Who's telling the truth? Present this afternoon at a press conference, before tomorrow's trip to Brest, Luis Enrique first indicated that observers judged his team only through results and not on the way it played, even with a revised eleven. “You do the analysis based on the results. I saw the same team in the league as in the Champions League. Same identity, different players because we had to change players because we had injuries. We did the same thing in L1 as in C1, but there were different results”he declared, before continuing.
“You are concerned because the team has one point less (than OM), I don't»
“As a coach, I am calm and confident because I saw the same thing. It's your job to analyze why you think it works or doesn't. You have to see each match in different contexts. We try to play the same way, but there are different circumstances especially around each match. I saw the same mentality and the same identity in Ligue 1 as in the Champions League, the same as last season”. Finally, the Spaniard made it known that PSG's current position behind OM was not a source of concern.
“You are concerned because the team has one point less (than OM, editor’s note), I don’t. As PSG coach, I don't worry about others. We are ready. We don't use the different circumstances we had as an excuse, we have to know how to manage that. That's what we do. And I repeat, I saw the same team in the league as in the Champions League. More than recovering first place, our concern is to win matches. To win the two away matches in Brest and Lorient. Seek to win every match. It’s very difficult, but we have experience”. The message has gotten through!
