On the eve of hosting Stade Rennais in Ligue 1 (9:00 p.m.), Luis Enrique was present at his traditional press briefing this Thursday. The opportunity to review the hot topics of the moment, namely the numerous injuries affecting his squad since the start of the season, the overloaded schedules and widely criticized by several players and coaches, but also his relationship with the press, which went from cold to polar after his last outings revealed in a documentary soon to be published by the MovistarIn recent days, several scenes had in fact gone viral on social networks, after the Asturian declared that he was willing to give up part of his salary to avoid speaking to journalists.
He also said that a team of stars was no guarantee of success, otherwise “PSG would have already won 8 Champions Leagues with Neymar, Messi and Mbappé“. Necessarily invited to speak, Luis Enrique remained faithful to his line of conduct: “I don’t remember anything anymorehe first said, in a slightly joking tone. I will use this press conference to give my opinion: I will not comment on any sentence taken out of the context of this documentary. What I do in a documentary is what I do in a match preparation situation. All the sentences I say to my team are part of my job as a coach. What I say, I think, but I am not saying it is good or bad, it is just my opinion.»
He likes the press, but not too much either.
Obviously, Luis Enrique also returned to his comments against the press, while he had already made controversial statements in recent months. “The press knows nothing about football”he had notably let slip before the Champions League semi-final against Dortmund last season, when he was told that his team was the favourite.I have a good time with youhe expressed this Thursday at PSG Campus, but not really convinced by his own words. I have never cut short a press conference, I like to talk, I say what I have to say. »
However, he confirmed that he was ready to give up part of his salary in order to cut out his media obligations: “It was a spontaneous thought. But if you tell me that I sign a paper to no longer speak to the press, and that you take away 25% of my salary, or even 50, I will sign it. But I think that is impossible, because the signed contracts oblige the coach to speak. I have a good time, but if I could avoid it, I would, especially during pre-match conferences, because I no longer have the energy to support certain things“It must have been a grimace in the auditorium…
