Paris Saint-Germain head coach Luis Enrique has congratulated his Lens counterpart Pierre Sage on winning the UNFP Coach of the Year award, ahead of what he expects to be a “festive” clash between the two sides at Bollaert-Delelis on Wednesday.
After PSG’s 1-0 victory over Brest on Sunday, Enrique had already declared his team champions in all but name, holding a six-point lead over Lens with a vastly superior goal difference (+15) with just two matches left. Nothing has changed his mind on the eve of the trip to Lens, and no questions at his press conference touched on any mathematical possibility of a title twist.
“It’s important to manage both games, but Lens comes three days after Brest, which is a short recovery time. We’ll see who has something left in the tank and who has played a lot—we’ll handle it on an individual basis. Showing our ambition is our responsibility every time we play for PSG. I see this match more as a celebration, in one of the best stadiums in France for atmosphere,” Enrique said.
When asked about the 13-day gap before the Champions League final, he responded: “That’s how it is, but we’re looking to play a game the weekend before the final. We’re organizing that, maybe a match among ourselves. The training load will matter, but I’m not worried. When you have the goal of playing a final, you could have a month off or one day off—you’re ready, it won’t be a problem.”
On rotation and preparation: “Both teams arrive in similar circumstances—a cup final for Lens a week after the league ends, a Champions League final for us two weeks later. The minute load will be different, but we also need individual information on each player. I think Pierre Sage will do the same as me: try to enjoy the match between the two best teams in French football, an entertaining game, and try to show our level.”
Enrique refused to give any injury update on Achraf Hakimi and Lucas Chevalier, stating: “I don’t want to give any information to my opponents. None.”
When it was pointed out that PSG have scored 28 goals from substitutes this season, the highest total in Europe, he said: “To win important trophies, you need players who look to take advantage of every moment to show their level. If you look at how we’ve managed this particular season, different from previous years, it’s really this season that the key players have played the least.”
Explaining his absence from the UNFP awards ceremony, Enrique said: “I never go to that kind of event. I prefer to stay at home studying Arsenal. I never go, but I’m very happy to see many PSG players there—they deserve it. Congratulations also to Pierre Sage, because he deserves to win this trophy. What he has done with Lens is incredible.”
On Lens’s challenge: “We have always highlighted here what Lens has done this season, but nobody expected it at the start of the league. This is the first time in my three seasons here that there has been a real competitor. It has been a motivation. They have shown their level, they deserve to be in the Champions League for the fourth time. Once again, congratulations to them, bravo to Pierre Sage and the Lens supporters.”
Discussing Fabian Ruiz’s return: “He’s a player who seems like something, but is the complete opposite. He looks slow, but mentally he’s the fastest. I love him, not just because he’s Spanish, but for what he gives the team—his physical and technical ability to do what’s needed with or without the ball. After almost three months out, he’s come back and brought a lot. We’ll need to manage his minutes, but I’m very happy to have him back.”
When asked about his pride in his three-season tenure at PSG: “Luis Enrique is proud of himself all the time. Especially when I lose, because when I win it’s easy. But when I lose, I’m very proud of who I am because I represent my family, and they mean everything to me.”
