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Luis Enrique Reflects on Champions League Win Against AS Monaco and Player Performance
Following a thrilling first leg in the Champions League playoff against AS Monaco, where PSG emerged victorious with a score of 3-2, coach Luis Enrique shared his reflections on the match. While he praised the performance of player Désiré Doué, he expressed concerns about the team’s slow start.
Luis Enrique at the press conference: “Usually, when facing a team that starts like this, we tend to experience a catastrophic continuity. They managed to score two goals from their limited chances. Those were two excellent plays. These moments are particularly challenging to manage. They demonstrated their mental strength. Missing a penalty was another setback; we could have regained some confidence. Out of our last six matches here, we have only managed to win twice. I’m pleased with the result, though we could have scored another goal even with ten men.
We aim to manage each player individually, understanding the unique challenges they face. Dembélé trained normally, so we took no risks; we will see tomorrow if it’s just a knock or something muscular. After 15 minutes, he couldn’t continue. Injuries are part of high-level sports.
Our team is quite young; no one expected us to win the Champions League last season. Everyone knows we have the potential to win it this year, and the pressure is on us. I’m happy for Doué; I faced criticism for playing him against Rennes. He showed real character, exhibiting special qualities at crucial moments to help the team. We thrive under pressure; it’s what we love to do.
Statistically, we are one of the best teams with a solid defense in the Champions League. The numbers back that up. We started poorly, conceding a goal from a difficult yet beautiful play by them. On their second chance, they scored again, which was tough to overcome. Our supporters were incredible, and I wanted to acknowledge that. I’ve never witnessed such support as a player or coach. Typically, after going down 2-0, fans may jeer or criticize, but instead, they sang and cheered for us. I want to give credit to our fans.
After Golovin’s red card, we created numerous opportunities since they set up defensively. It was unfortunate that we didn’t score another goal. Overall, I’m pleased with the result, especially considering how we started the match. At 2-0 down, I thought about going home with my wife and kids.”
