Under a late afternoon sun and in an almost suspended atmosphere, the PSG Campus shifted into another dimension this Wednesday. Ten days before the Champions League final against Arsenal, on the lawn of the Puskas Arena in Budapest, the Parisian club opens its doors to the press for a media day which already looks like a gradual entry into the event. The Ligue 1 season is over, the championship title is officially in the pocket for Luis Enrique’s men, and Paris is now moving forward with a single obsession in mind. Win again and stay on the throne of Europe. The faces were generally relaxed, but the looks said something else. Those of a group who know that they arrive at the most important meeting of their year with the weight of a new status. Opposite, Arsenal will arrive in Hungary in the costume of the English champion after having regained power in the Premier League, and this poster already gives the impression of a continental summit between two teams who reached maturity at the same time.
This Parisian media day also has the flavor of a last big gathering before the final rise in tension. On the pitches of Poissy, all eyes were inevitably on Achraf Hakimi, expected to return to collective training after his thigh injury contracted against Bayern. The Moroccan full-back should be present in the group for the final and his return already brings a little fresh air to a squad which has experienced some physical alerts in recent days. Ousmane Dembélé still has discomfort in his right calf after his premature exit during the derby against Paris FC, but the concern remains limited internally and his presence against Arsenal is almost beyond doubt, and in this sense Luis Enrique’s press conference was expected and the Asturian confirmed that “everyone was ready”. Amidst the cameras, poles and photographers installed along the pitch, this will also be the setting for PSG ten days before the biggest meeting of its season. A French champion team, marked by a long European campaign, which is now trying to preserve its nervous balance before the big jump.
A tailor-made preparation
Asked about the upcoming final against Arsenal and the collective progress of his team in major European events, Luis Enrique painted a very glowing portrait of the English champion while highlighting PSG’s defensive progress in very high-level matches. “The most important thing for us is to look at ourselves and much less at the opponents. It’s normal during this type of match, in the best competition, to adapt to the opponent. Against Bayern and Arsenal, we know they have a lot of the ball. We improved further in these types of matches and we are happy with it. They deserve to win this Premier League. They had an incredible big year. We have past experience against Arsenal. We know their qualities. They are the best team in the world without the ball. And with the ball, they are capable of scoring a lot. It’s a wonderful combination. We can see a superb finale. If you see Arsenal’s statistics you will see that Arteta is a leader, he is the one who brought a winning mentality. For 4-5 seasons, they have improved every year. They know how to play with the ball and without the ball, they are the best team in Europe. They won the Premier League, which is unique. Last year we had the merit of beating them. Arteta is a great coach. He was in the best place to learn with Guardiola. Arteta as a player I only knew him for a year at Barcelona»
The Spanish technician was also relaunched on his playing philosophy and his desire for control, a theme that he approaches with more perspective as football evolves and generations change in a locker room. “I think I said this 2 years ago. Every year I control less and less. Things change all the time. The important things, I always control them. But there are less important things that I can’t control because football is always changing. The future of football is in this pattern. You need to have a little less control to surprise your opponents. Football has given me much more than I give to it. I never tried to be the best coach. Every morning, I get up to win the matches. But it’s changing because I’m older and the players are younger, they’re younger than my son. Every year I have to change things. I like this unpredictability. I just think about performing well, doing better training and helping the players progress. We must always adapt. The players are much younger than my son. You have to change things every year. I love these unpredictable things. You have to be competitive. Everyone is ready. Everyone arrives in a different way. But it will be a week with a lot of changes, days of rest and a lot of training to prepare the little offensive and defensive details. The rest is the sun in Paris and Budapest. There was more pressure last year, it was very difficult to manage. There are similar things but the majority of players know this pattern. Knowing how to manage this pressure will be the key, but I think we will be better prepared than last year.»
Following his press conference, Luis Enrique detailed the human and physical management of this long tunnel which leads to the final in Budapest. rest, tactical work and group cohesion… The Parisian coach wants to maintain his squad in the most peaceful climate possible. “What is important is that the players who arrive at the Campus experience a fun time, enjoying with teammates, going to the swimming pool… Working while having fun. This is a very important part. You need free days to do different things with your family. We seek to do things differently. Rest is very important. Have moments where you decide where you want to be, with your friends or your family. When you arrive at Campus, I always want the players to be happy and enjoy. We want to be a small family, especially these next few weeks. We must take advantage so that on Campus, they are all happy. They must feel lucky and happy like a family among us. Especially these next few weeks. It’s a little different from last year because we had the Coupe de France final. This year, we don’t have any. We will play a short friendly match to work on tactics. We have a lot of time. We will prepare for the Arsenal match and work on small details to attack and defend even better, we will try if Arsenal lets us arrive in this beautiful city of Budapest“, he concluded. Ten days before the Champions League final against Arsenal, PSG enters the suspended time of very major European meetings.
