PSG v Tottenham: Luis Enrique on Donnarumma, prep and aims | OneFootball

On Wednesday, on the 1st day of the 2025 European Super Cup, Paris Saint-Germain will face Tottenham at the Bluenergy Stadium in Udine (kick-off at 9 pm, broadcast on Canal+). On the eve of this meeting, Parisian coach Luis Enrique answered several questions in a press conference.

Luis Enrique « These are always difficult decisions to make »

What is PSG capable of with a week of training?

To be honest, I don’t know. It’s very different from what we usually do, but it’s the calendar that will allow such a thing. We started training with the joy of preparing and preparing for this match in a motherly way. But I don’t know what level we can achieve.

Donnarumma is not there, can you explain this decision with the arrival of Lucas Chevalier?

Lucas and Renato too. These are always difficult decisions to make, I know. I can only speak well of Gigio. He is one of the best players in his position without a doubt, and he is even better as a person. We are looking for a different goalkeeper profile, and I repeat, it is always difficult to decide on this kind of situation.

Luis Enrique « It’s a dream and we will try to win a second one »

Is your number one challenge to stay at the top? What lever do you plan to activate?

What we did last season was an objective for all Parisian supporters and for the club and for all the players who played for the club. We want to make history and win a second consecutive Champions League, that’s our goal. Last year, I think no one had the ability to think that we are capable of winning this Champions League, and we showed everyone that we are capable. It’s a dream, and we will try to win a second one, but it will be very difficult. We are happy to have this dream.

Tottenham?

They changed coaches, they have already played friendly matches. I don’t know what tomorrow will be made of, and I don’t know the approach of the Tottenham team. They have a month of training, and we have only one week. It’s not an excuse because we will try to do everything tomorrow to win the match. I had a few options, including going to Tottenham before my arrival in Paris.

Luis Enrique « But we have team goals, not individual goals »

How important are all the Ballon d’Or nominations for your players?

I think I have already spoken about what this means, this presence, these awards, which are very important for people in the football world, but for us, the most important thing is to demonstrate that the stars were at the service of the team. I think that’s the key, and it’s very beautiful for all supporters and players to know that there are 9 PSG players on this list of 30, and I think there should be more. But we have team goals, not individual goals, it’s a team sport, and that means our club, our players, our supporters want the team to be in the conquest of trophies, and the consequences of that are individual awards. But that’s not our goal.

Do you understand the feeling that may exist of not having the opportunity to fully savor great successes?

I think it’s normal, and it happens very often because we have a lot of pressure. But I must say that I am delighted to be here, to enter the fray because it will be a great challenge for us, the team, because we can make history here in Paris. When I say make history, I mean of course winning trophies. I saw 4 players playing in the corridors, so I have several players who play, it’s our DNA, it’s not our job, it’s our life, and I’m glad to have this kind of player in my squad. We try to enjoy it as much as possible, and of course, the pressure is omnipresent, but we manage it.

Luis Enrique « You will like me to come back, it’s the club’s decision that supports me, and from that moment on, we looked for the best solution »

Are you prepared for potential penalties since you have a new goalkeeper?

No, we didn’t train on penalties. I understand, and given Donnarumma’s level, it’s normal, and we understand the situation. But my goal is to improve the team, and I try to do it in the best way. We didn’t prepare for potential penalty shootout sessions to answer your question.

What do you find important in a goalkeeper, stopping goals or something else?

I think I have already answered many times. You will like me to come back, it’s the club’s decision that supports me, and from that moment on, we looked for the best solution.

How can you be even better than last season? Is it imperative to find backups for certain positions?

We have the mentality to improve, and it will be difficult because we almost won everything. And that’s the mentality we want to have. We want to prepare properly for this season, and it will be special because we have the opportunity to make history even stronger. It’s a real motivation for us.

Luis Enrique « We will see tomorrow if we are capable of doing this »

Will you play collectively tomorrow? The opponent is ready.

Last season was long, there were many units. We had difficult weeks in all competitions, but what allowed us to go to the end was a very high level of players, everyone at the service of the team, and that means we must not forget. Tomorrow, we will try to give the best version of ourselves, and it is evident that the match conditions are very particular, but we want to try to lead the match where we think we are better. We will see tomorrow if we are capable of doing this.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇫🇷 here.