Luis Enrique: "We're Gonna Win"
Paris Saint-Germain coach, Luis Enrique, confidently stated that they are approaching the second leg of the UEFA Champions League semi-finals against Borussia Dortmund with confidence. He ironically admitted that "we're gonna win" is the only thing he knows how to say in French.
The coach assured that they have prepared "perfectly" for Tuesday's match, as they haven't had a league game, allowing them to dedicate all their time to preparation. He pointed out that the team's mental state is good.
When asked why he tells fans who come to cheer him at the training ground "on va gagner" (we're gonna win), he joked, "It's the only thing I can say in French. And besides, I believe it."
The Spanish coach also commented on the negativity surrounding the possibility of elimination: "Some always focus on the negative. If we lose, we'll applaud the opponent, we'll be upset, but we'll get back up to keep working."
"The goal isn't to win by two goals, it's to win. If we think we need to score two goals, it will seem too far away. We need to score one and then the tie will be level," Luis Enrique affirmed, stating that the objective is to secure a victory, then think about the overall result.
Achieving this, "will make the opponent react and, as we've seen, in football, two goals can be scored in three minutes or they can score one, and we shouldn't let ourselves down, as happened to us in Barcelona."
"Now there's a team eliminated, PSG, but depending on the result, that can change. We're going to play the same way, but the opponent can adapt," he pointed out.
Luis Enrique tried to frame Kylian Mbappé's game within the team's general context but acknowledged that he would like "the best players to participate more in the game."
Although he noted that if Borussia defends deep, he won't ask him to drop into the midfield because a player like him "needs to touch the critical zone."
"The goal is to play from the back to put the forwards in the best conditions. But the forwards also have to participate in the collective game," he said.
The coach also emphasized the importance of the Parc des Princes fans, comparing them to the German fans from the first leg.
"Their role will be vital, as it has been all season. We are fully guaranteed that the fans will be fully behind us, as they have been all year, especially when we need them the most. The atmosphere in Dortmund was great, I hope it will be the same here," concluded the Spanish coach.