Luis Enrique: "I'm a coach who talks to his players a lot"

Coach, how has your first month here at Paris Saint-Germain gone?

"Well, I have to say it's been very positive. With players, it takes time to get to know each other. That time is needed for the team to understand what I want as coach, but also for everyone to learn to live together. There are a lot of us here working for the good of the club and to help the players."

What kind of coach are you on a day-to-day basis?

"I'm a coach who communicate with his players a lot, but I'm also careful about the message I pass on to them. You can't talk to them every day. And we don't just talk tactics. We talk about life. We talk about values. We talk about personal situations. We talk about what it means to be part of a club like Paris Saint-Germain. We talk about family. These are the same values. Football and sport create situations that are very similar to life, where you are often happy and sometimes sad. In general, it's pleasant and interesting and there are plenty of moments to observe, to talk, to correct and to pass on to the player the idea we have of football. The truth is that it's a very interesting and magnificent project."

In your idea of football, the human aspect seems to be just as important as the player, doesn't it?

"Of course, they are men before they are footballers. We, as more experienced people, try to make them aware that there are many ways to have fun while becoming a unique and outstanding player. Not just when you're playing, but also when you're in the dressing room, when you're in the stands, when you're injured. I think it's important to pass on different values to the players. And for me, it's very important to hear laughter in training. When you have to work, when you do it at maximum intensity, you have to try to enjoy your everyday life, your life as a footballer, because it's very short.
I'm a demanding person, and obviously what I love most is competition and winning, like all of us in the professional world. But the bond with my players is also important, not only with those who play the most matches, but also with those who don't play. I try to help them as much as I can. I like to be close to my players, but at the same time demanding. And that's my job. My rule is to live things with passion. That's the way I am."

What was your first priority here in your first month?

"My first priority is to create bonds between the players on the pitch and to find connections between them. At the beginning, it's a question of informing my players about the basics, the important things, the things that everyone has to do and how we should behave on the pitch. Then, progress comes from training sessions and matches, seeing these connections between the players, and adapting to what's happening on the pitch, in attack and defence, depending on the opponent, but above all depending on our idea of the game. There isn't a training session that doesn't aim to improve these game situations and train them. That said, we're only at the very beginning. I'd say there's a lot to do, a lot to improve on, a lot to analyse, but these are very exciting first steps."

You played your first match at the Parc des Princes. How did it feel?

"It was surprising! I loved the atmosphere. Even during the warm-up, when we were still in the changing rooms, we could hear the stadium singing. We loved it. Now we just hope to repay that joy and passion by playing good football, scoring goals and winning games. That's our goal. Is that pressure? No. Personally, I see pressure at this level as a privilege, and if you're not prepared to put up with that privilege, you'd be better off leaving professional football. For me, it's a great advantage."

Watch the full interview!