Luis Enrique: ‘We'll be fighting from start to finish’

The Paris Saint-Germain coach answered questions from PSG TV and the media ahead of his side's Ligue 1 Matchday 9 clash with Olympique de Marseille, scheduled for 8.45pm on Sunday 27th October at the Orange Velodrome. Here are some extracts from the interview.

ON the match against PSV Eindhoven

‘Having looked back at the match against PSV, I'm very happy; we were more dangerous than our opponents and created a lot of chances. I'm very optimistic about what I'm seeing, and I think we're going to keep improving.’

ON Gonçalo Ramos'S ABSENCE

‘All season long, coaches have to adapt to the players that they have available due to injuries, fatigue, etc. I'm happy with my team. I have different solutions in the number-nine position, and I'm happy with that. The solution never lies with one or two players; the solution is to improve as a team.’

ON PARIS'S START TO THE LEAGUE SEASON

‘Last season was very good, and this year, we've got off to a better start. What I've noticed is that Monaco and Marseille have got better, and I think that's positive for the league. Now, we'll see what happens next.’

ON Roberto De Zerbi

‘He's an exciting coach because of the way in which he aims to press very high. He gets his players on board, makes them play how he wants them to play and likes to dominate games from start to finish. I really enjoyed watching his team when he was coaching Brighton.’

ON preparING for le Classique

‘Normally, the big matches are the easiest to prepare for in terms of motivation and excitement, but you have to be careful. You need to hold onto the motivation required but not be driven by emotions. That's vital for this type of match.’

ON MAKING changes to the starting XI 

‘Depending on what I see and what the players tell me, whether in matches or in training, and also depending on the needs of the match, I make the choices that I consider to be the best.’

ON PARIS'S PLAY

‘I'm not worried at all. I think that when we create so many chances against almost all of our opponents, that's a good thing. Of course, we have to be as realistic as possible, but what I'm trying to generate in my players is confidence so that we can create even more chances. I'm very proud of them and their ability to fight until the last minute. Obviously, I'd like us to score more goals, but we're already scoring a lot.’

ON THE excitement around the match

‘We're going to try to live up to our fans' expectations. Before coming here, I'd never seen fans like these, who are behind us from the first minute to the last. So, we'll be there, too, fighting from start to finish. We know how important this match is for the fans, but we can't let that put us under any negative pressure.’