Luis Enrique: 'It would be a mistake to think that the match will be easy'

STRASBOURG

"The first thing to do after a two-week break is to get the players back into the swing of things at the club. It's going to be a special week because there are three matches. Strasbourg are a very young team, a team that defends well and is highly motivated. It's going to be tough."

MOTIVATION

"As a player, I experienced it for years when I played for Real Madrid and Barcelona, then I experienced it as a coach at Barça and now at Paris Saint-Germain. When players are in the national team, they are always very excited. That's logical and normal, and I accept it. After that, it depends on the match that follows, the opponent... It can be more or less motivating. When you're part of a great team, you have to be able to play even when you're not optimally motivated. It's not an easy thing to do, especially with these breaks where the first match back is a league game and the next a Champions League match, like the one against Milan, where the motivation will be high. It would be a mistake to think that the match against Strasbourg will be easy. It's a much tougher match than the one against Milan. For Milan, I'll have to calm the players down. Whereas on Saturday, I'm going to have to motivate them, get them excited. That's why this match against Strasbourg involves a lot more problems for me, with a very young opposition, super motivated and coached by a very good coach [Patrick Vieira]."

CONSISTENCY

"I think you can see it in our results, which aren't up to what we expected. We have to work hard, yes, all the time, on all aspects. But I'm very satisfied with what I see in terms of merit and content. I'm even happy with the game we lost at Newcastle (1-4). The team continues to move forward. I don't know what level we're at yet, but we're improving. I'm very optimistic and happy with what I see."

WARREN ZAÏRE-EMERY

"Warren is a different player because of his age and what he brings. But I've got a great squad. There are players who have played very little even though they are very high-level players. My role is to make sure they're able to contribute, no matter who's in the starting eleven."

LEE KANG-IN

"Since he's been with us, he's already shown his ability, including with his national team. For us, with our system, his preferred position would be as a box-to-box midfielder, but he can also play as a winger, and he can also be a centre-forward, a false 9 or a supporting striker. He's good at finishing and making the final pass. He's a very promising player."

THE MEDIA

"Yes, I like the media a lot. The problem is that there are fewer and fewer of you, so I'm going to end up alone! I enjoy the interviews, the press conferences and being out on the pitch as a coach, especially when we're winning. Like all coaches, I feel good and I try to return the affection I receive."

THE FULL CONFERENCE