Luis Enrique says PSG ready for UCL glory
Paris Saint-Germain head coach Luis Enrique is confident that his youthful squad is ready to clinch its first UEFA Champions League title as it gears up for Sunday's (AEST) final against Inter Milan.
The former Barcelona boss believes that his squad's experience in big games over the past two years, under his guidance, has put it in a strong position to lift the trophy in Munich.
Luis Enrique added that the hurdles faced by his side during the first half of the season have served as motivation for it as ut prepares to face a seasoned Inter side.
"We're a team that's used to playing in finals; these are situations we're accustomed to and have already experienced. Motivation is important, but we're used to it," Luis Enrique said.
"There are always two ways to interpret experience, it can play both ways. I think it's important to have experience, but it's still very relative.
"What makes us strong as a team is that our journey has been difficult: there have been ups and downs, but having struggled can be an advantage.
"We're used to playing these finals, we've played against some of the best teams in Europe, and we've played some real finals along the way. We're ready, we won't be afraid."
Luis Enrique, who won the UEFA Champions League in 2015 with Barcelona, is looking to become the sixth manager to win the trophy with two different clubs.
However, this competition has been PSG's downfall in recent years, the French side playing the fourth-most games (167) without winning the European Cup/Champions League since it began in 1955.
It is behind Arsenal (211), Dynamo Kyiv (185) and Atletico Madrid (176) in that aspect, while a win on Sunday (AEST) would see it have the most games before winning its first trophy, with Manchester City the current most on 116 before it won its 117th game in the final against Inter in 2023.
This appears to be a different PSG side under the Spaniard, whose side has both won its most games (10) and scored its most goals (33) in a single major European campaign this season.
Luis Enrique said his primary motivation was to make history with PSG, which will look to avenge its UEFA Champions League final defeat against Bayern Munich in 2019-2020.
"I'm calm thanks to my maturity: I'm 10 years older and more experienced," the PSG boss said, reflecting on his European success with Barcelona previously.
"I try to share all this with my players: they can write history, I want to make sure there's no excess emotion. I think we're ready, and I think Inter know that we are ready too."
Among his notable achievements this season has been his nurturing of Ousmane Dembele into a potential Ballon d'Or winner.
Indeed, Dembele has been directly involved in 12 UEFA Champions League goals this season (eight goals, four assists); the most ever by a PSG player in one campaign.
"Ousmane has been one of the best players of the season, if not the best: he's a leader, someone who drives the team forward with his example," he added.
"It's great to be able to field him and trust him to make the most of his qualities."