Ahead of the Champions League match against Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain coach Luis Enrique was interviewed by beIN Sports, discussing his preparation strategy for facing Barcelona again, the team's motivation to defend the Champions League title, and his emotional evolution when facing his former club.
Reporter: This is the third time in the past three years that you have led a team against Barcelona. After last season's impressive victory in Catalonia and the tactical battle in 2024, how does your preparation for tomorrow's match differ from the previous two encounters?
Enrique: Every match is completely different. We played them last season, and now facing Barcelona under Flick, the situation in all aspects is very different from where we are now. Each encounter has its own details, and we must remain highly focused.
Reporter: You are the coach of the reigning Champions League champions, and people constantly remind you of this. You were asked this question last year, and we still want to ask it this year: In your daily work, how do you maintain the same high desire to win, as well as this positive mindset and composure under pressure?
Enrique: Not just the same desire, but an even stronger one than before. Once you've won, you want to keep winning. And to keep winning, the key is continuous improvement and constantly surpassing yourself.
I think this is the philosophy we always try to instill when talking with the players and the whole team: to be clearly aware of the current difficulties, to see where we stand now, and to always think about improving. This is the most essential prerequisite.
Reporter: You have a very special connection with Barcelona: you were a player there, you were the coach who led them to a treble, and for the past three years, you have frequently faced them as an opponent. Now, when you face Barcelona, do you still feel emotional turmoil, or have you completely put those emotions aside?
Enrique: No, the feeling is completely different now. Indeed, at first, I didn't like these matches against Barcelona because they were too emotionally demanding. But now we are starting to learn to enjoy it; you feel that playing against them is a wonderful thing and a great source of motivation. Barcelona is a club where I played for a long time and coached for many years, and these encounters are indeed very special. But at the same time, I am full of motivation and eager to give my best to show the highest level our team is capable of.
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