Luis Enrique: "A process of growth"

Coach, how do you feel about your time in Paris six months after arriving?

"There have been a lot of new things since I arrived. With the arrival of a lot of new players, the new training centre and the introduction of a new philosophy. It was an intense first few weeks, with a truncated pre-season for some players, who arrived later. But I have to say that everything was positive from the start, the players were receptive and everyone at the club helped to ensure that everything went smoothly."

We see that the team plays with a lot of possession, how do you implement this philosophy?

"We train every day for that. There's not just a message to get across, you have to put the ideas of the game in place and apply them on the pitch. Players at this level are used to playing with new coaches, but it's all like a jigsaw puzzle. You have to put the pieces together, and that's what we've been doing all along, depending on the players, the connections, the opponents... There are a lot of factors to take into account."

Do the players have to adapt to the coach, or vice versa?

"It all depends. We have players we know a bit about because we've seen them play for other teams. You have to work in training and not all players take in information in the same way. It's a process of growth, and I think the team has already achieved a lot in that respect. There are things that need to be improved and that we're trying to change. Sometimes I adapt to the players because I know what they can give me. And other times, they adapt to what I want, because I have more experience and I know how the team should play. There's no set plan, you have to adapt."

You came to the Parc des Princes in August, how did it feel?

"The Parc des Princes was a wonderful discovery. Everyone always says they have the best supporters in the world, but when the team loses, they whistle. Here in Paris, that's not the case. We've lost away games, and I could still hear our supporters applauding louder than the home fans. The Parc is a great place, and we have to encourage our fans to support us again and again, so that they enjoy coming to see us play."

Is the versatility of players important to you?

"What I think is important is that we have a high-quality squad with players who can play in several positions, and that makes us very unpredictable for our opponents. A lot of my players can play on both flanks or in several central positions. We want to be unpredictable, and we want to become a better team. For the team to be as competitive as possible, all the players have to be ready. And that means making changes and giving the players as much information as possible."

There have only been a few defeats so far, so how do you bounce back after a setback?

"I think the defeat at Newcastle was unfair. The score was unfairly heavy, but it doesn't matter, that's football. Not everything went according to plan, but we worked on what went wrong afterwards. But I saw players who were committed. You have to realise that every game is different, and we never prepare for them in the same way."

Halfway through the season, the team is top of the league. Is it important for you to have taken the driver's seat in the league?

"We're the best team in the league. We have to win Ligue 1, it's a mandatory objective and I know that. Our objective is to win, but also to have an identity as a team. We have to win by helping the team and the club to grow. That's something that's very important for me and for the fans. The more the months go by, the more the fans will get used to my decisions!"

We're a young team. How do you manage integrating young players into the squad?

"I'm not afraid of playing young players. In my career, I've never decided to play players based on their age. What motivates me is the quality of the player. And how do you become a great player? By working hard and playing competitively. I'm not concerned about age! What matters is playing football. It's not about experience, it's about playing the game.

How would you sum up these first few months?

"I'm very happy and satisfied with these first few months, and with the energy and desire I see within the club at all levels. Everyone is involved, everyone is helping out, and that's a harmony that's important in a football club. We're only halfway through the season, the second will be very exciting, and we need to play a lot more matches and work harder to win titles. That's our objective. We want to perform consistently, that's our guiding principle."