Gonçalo Ramos: “If I have to talk about him, I have to talk about a player who has an iron state of mind, unfailing ambition, a very interesting player. I’m very happy to have him, a player always ready to play and help the team. He has good stats and performance. He probably deserves more playing time but it’s a high level club. There is always better to do but its performance is impeccable. He is very young and very mature at the same time.
Clermont before Barça: “Before preparing for the season, we know the calendar, we analyze it, there are a lot of variables, playing time in the selection and club, the state of form… We sometimes have a plan about certain players for certain matches but we always have to adapt. Here, we have important matches but the most important is the next one, because we haven’t won the championship yet. We have to beat Clermont and it will be hard because everything is there to make it so. There were strong emotions over the last matches and the next ones. But we must not question our motivation. We are in a good position to win everything. I don’t want any player who thinks about Barcelona. I want everyone to think of Clermont.”
The 11 against Barça already in the lead: “I don’t decide on the 11 three or four days before… I know who will play against Clermont because I saw today’s training and we are a staff who likes to see players train. With two days of rest between matches, the sessions consist of a lot of warm-up and cool-down. But the 11th against Barça doesn’t interest me. There is a match to play before in another competition. You have to have confidence in 23 players and you decide who plays the day before.”
Almost empty infirmary: “High-level football involves a very high risk of injury. It is important to have a good medical staff and that the players recover quickly, because there will be injuries in all cases. We work on it with the performance department. Prevention is important. We take a lot of care with all these elements and we all work with the idea that the players are stronger, better prepared. It is vital. The individual and collective level has progressed greatly but we never do everything perfectly. It’s a game in which there are hits, contacts and it’s common to get injured. Qualified professionals are needed for the prevention aspect, and when the injury occurs, professionals to heal. So I’m very happy but we can always do better.”
Bradley Barcola: “He just did his first workout, he feels good. He worked well. As for the injured, I have no definite idea in any case. I observe, I look at the way they train, if I see them confident or not. We are in a series where all the players are in good physical shape. I like that players returning from injury have to fight to regain their place. So they must prepare. Barcola trained with the group and I’m very happy.”
Who to replace Achraf Hakimi against Barça: “Nordi Mukiele or Warren Zaire-Emery in this role? We can wait for anything. You know me now. I’m not saying that we can expect everything at random, everything, in a thoughtful way, concerted with my staff… Our idea is always to generate the most confidence in our players. Tomorrow (Saturday), I want to see an ambitious, aggressive PSG, which presses a lot and which makes PSG supporters get up from their seats. The goal is to win the championship, it’s not done yet. We want to convey a clear idea of the game, and that’s what I want to see tomorrow. Maybe some players are less motivated, but we have to be at the level. (on Zaire-Emery) Depending on whether he plays defender or inside the game, it is obviously different. But he has the ability to play in both positions, he has already done it this season. But other players can do it, like Carlos Soler, Marquinhos, it’s obviously Hakimi’s natural position… I have a lot of options.”
Ousmane Dembélé in the center: “He makes the difference, whether he is in the heart of the game or on one side. But what is important for us is to know where the spaces are depending on the match and the opponent. If there is no space inside, we shift Ousmane to one side in order to create imbalance. I have this idea that when there is space in the heart of the game, it is closer to the opponent’s goal. He’s a player who can score a lot of goals.”
Important to have around twenty players involved: “This is how I manage all my locker rooms, I have never had a team with only 12 or 13 starters. I have always had good results doing things differently. From a personal point of view, that the players feel involved, that they see that they are playing and that they are playing well in the matches, the examination time is the best proof that they can give to the coach. For my part, I form my opinion on what I see in training. When I see that the level of training is increasing, it’s even better. If someone shows up in training, it means they can play in Ligue 1 and the Champions League. If someone is better than you in training and competition, they will play the next match.
Marquinhos: “In addition to being the captain, a reference in the game and off the field, Marquinhos is involved as a young player. When I see his face in the pre-match discussions, I see that he always wants to improve. It’s the best mentality, it’s very good among young players. But when we find it among the more experienced players, the idea that you can learn until the last day and even learn from young players, it’s good. We must maintain this openness. Marquinhos reflects this mentality to perfection. I’m not going to talk about the player he is, you know him. But the Marquinhos captain, the teammate, I can talk about him, I see him all year round, he is an indisputable player, a starter, the one who is capable of helping when he is on the field or off it.
Chance or coincidence, four former Barça players (Guardiola, Arteta, , Ligue 1, Clermont, great players, 24 players who want to play, an important L1 match for us, we have to continue to win, we still need three victories to win the title. This is my present.”
Kylian Mbappé, best player in the world: “If we take the numbers into consideration, the answer is in the question.”
An already successful season: “It’s like at school: until the final report in June, and I hope that we will have ours on June 2 (the day after the C1 final, June 1, Editor’s note) , we do not know. Everything is going well, but there could be a problem at any time. We have several competitions in mind and the line between victory and defeat is very thin… We prepare, we are where we want to be. There is no reason not to be optimistic, but we have to be realistic, now is when the difficult things begin.”
If Luis Enrique feels Parisian: “I’m from Gijon, I’m Spanish, no doubt about it, my accent betrays me in all cases. I want to continue working on my French. But my home, my club, is Paris. I live in the present. Every coach will tell you that. The future doesn’t exist and you can’t change the past. My home is in Paris, my club is PSG, this is my life at the moment. I give the maximum to this club which has chosen to trust me. But I’m from Gijon, Asturias, half Catalan and Spanish.”
Comments collected at a press conference