Paris Saint-Germain tackles the next few weeks with the ambition to conclude one of the most significant seasons in its history. Already assured of the title of champion of France for the thirteenth time and winner of the Champions Trophy at the beginning of the year, the club of the capital flew over national competitions with an undeniable authority. Added to this is a brilliant harvest during the UNFP trophies, where individual distinctions praised the collective domination of a workforce cut for summits. But the main thing remains to come: two finals, two trophies to go get to transform a very good season into a legendary campaign. The Coupe de France, first, facing the Stade de Reims, then especially the Champions League against Inter Milan, the ultimate walk towards an unprecedented quadrupled and a final place in the history of European football. It is in this context of effervescence and positive tension that PSG organizes, this Wednesday, May 21, an exceptional media day at the Poissy campus. This morning, open to the press, allows you to attend training, to collect the impressions of players in the mixed zone and to listen to Luis Enrique at a press conference. For the club, this is a strategic moment: to show the serenity of a concentrated group, the unity of a cloakroom turned towards a common objective and the confidence of a staff as the major deadlines approached. It is also a way of mastering communication in a period of maximum exposure, while displaying an image of power and maturity.
This media meeting is not only used to fill the pages of the newspapers: it embodies the posture of a PSG on a mission, ready to enter a new dimension. After a training session of more than an hour, Luis Enrique appeared at a press conference, in a full room to crack for the occasion. The Spanish coach quickly wanted to clear things up. Before talking about the Champions League that everyone is waiting for, there is another final not to underestimate, that facing the Stade de Reims on Saturday in the final meeting of the French Cup: “I focus on the two games, the French Cup final and then that of the Champions League. There is nothing very special to prepare. We are here because of the football we play. I will not be able to say who is the easiest to prepare. The most important match is where we arrived. These are different matches, it often happens to play these kinds of matches. What surrounds you is different, there is a strong pressure and you have to manage this moment. Are the stars? I don't know, I'm not a guess. What is important to us is DNA, playing our best game and being the first to make history by winning the Champions League but there is another team that has the same goal as we».
Two finals to finally dream very big!
Before getting to the heart of the matter, Luis Enrique wanted to give his observations and other analyzes of the Nerazzurri, when he looked at this double historical confrontation between FC Barcelona and Inter Milan in the semi-finals of the Champions League. He has: “Two very beautiful games to see as a fan, but also as a coach. There were more goals than I thought. Inter has never been behind and that indicates the ability they have to manage things, no matter the time of the match. They are good in static attack, very good on set kicks. I hope the final will not look like these two games. They like to have the ball and we have the same characteristics. We know Lautaro and Thuram, two players in the axis. But Inter is more than that, they can play collective football. It's a team that looks like us a lot because she likes to have the ball. It doesn't matter if playing players, you'll always see the same things on the field. A team made like a great coach, Inzaghi, who has experience. But we are also a difficult team to play. Physically, they are stronger than us, they are very good on set kicks. On paper, I think it's one of the best finals in the Champions League in recent years».
Rafel Pol, Guillem Hernández, Borja Álvarez, Pedro Gómez, Alberto Piernas… His names may not be familiar to the whole planet of French football. But in Paris, the assistants and other members of the Luis Enrique staff are precious gears to run a perfectly oiled engine. The former Roja coach wanted to pay tribute to his assistants: “My best quality is to choose my entourage. These are people who get the best of me, who get me out of my comfort. I have this ability to be nonconformist. We must look for unexplored areas and I am surrounded by very high level people, including people who were at the club and adapted to our staff. Without a very strong staff, a coach is nothing. The perfect atmosphere in the group? Instead of coming to work, you come to have fun. They are privileged because they dedicate themselves to their profession. We must continue to have fun, be ambitious and face these ten days with the best mentality and have fun». In the shadow of Luis Enrique, his staff plays a central role in the rise of PSG this season. Composed of close collaborators of longtime, combining requirement, innovation and human management, this technical nucleus brings rigor and consistency to everyday life. Millimetry physical preparation, sophisticated tactical sessions and attention to each detail made it possible to build a solid, efficient and perfectly aligned collective with the philosophy of the coach. An essential shadow work, which sheds light on Parisian ambitions in a new light.
Ten days from the official end of the 2024/2025 season, Luis Enrique took the opportunity to take stock of a hobless campaign that was not easy. Between the disappointing C1 championship phase and the sometimes virulent criticisms of his management and his philosophy, the Spanish coach derives only from the positive, but above all from pride: “I was delighted with what I saw, what we tried. Players were criticized and exploded. We had to overcome all of this. We played very high level matches in the Champions League and we lost them, as against Atlético and Liverpool. Change is when you got out of the blocking in terms of efficiency. Players have managed to place themselves better in the surface. We went from lamentable statistics to the best in Europe. It is the same version of the team, but with efficiency. We scored more goals than last season, and more players delivered assists. Our figures are exceptional. To happen, our players must give the ball to the best placed. Many players have scored or delivered passes and I am very happy not to depend on a single player». In the gaze of Luis Enrique, this Wednesday in Poissy, shone more than a simple tactical insurance: the brilliance of a dream materializing. At the dawn of a possible masterpiece, his speech resonated as a quiet promise-that of a group in harmony, of a destiny that is built step by step, with rigor and passion. In this suspended atmosphere, between concentration and hope, PSG does not only seem to target trophies, but write a legendary page.
