Time for recovery. After a long international break, PSG is preparing to host Le Mans on Saturday (8:45 p.m., Ligue 1+), during the sixth day of Ligue 1. Match for which Paris, sixth in the standings five points behind the Monegasque leader, will be deprived of Senny Mayulu (thigh), but also and above all Ousmane Dembélé and Nuno Mendes (rest), who will resume training this weekend in preparation for the trip to Manchester City, Wednesday (9 p.m.), in the Ligue 1. champions. A shock which should invite Luis Enrique to make a certain turnover against the promoted Sarthois. He responded to journalists this Friday, at the Poissy Campus, at a press conference.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia's discreet debut this season: “You are always concerned about very mundane things in football... If a player plays well or badly, if he is in his best moment or not, if we win or lose... It's your life, I can understand that. But I'm preoccupied with the important things. “Kvara” has shown his level since he arrived here, he is a top player and I am happy to have him. For the rest, the players are humans, not machines, it's usual for teams and players to have ups and downs. It’s not a concern.”
Ousmane Dembélé disappointing in the French team: “I must say that I do not agree: for me, he was brilliant, as usual. He's a different player. You can calmly pay for your ticket to see Ousmane Dembélé at the stadium, he is always open to showing off, to hitting, to connecting with his teammates. He was very good (with the France team). Rest? Especially after such a long international break, we think about each player individually. We decided, all together, that Nuno (Mendes) and Ousmane must rest in order to think about the upcoming matches in Ligue 1 and the Champions League. It’s normal and you have to get used to it because it will be normal this season.”
If PSG is already at the top psychologically: “You have to ask Joaquin Valdes! I don't know and I'm not concerned about it. If we win easily, it's because the opponents are not good or we are unplayable, but if we start the season as we did, with draws or even a defeat against Monaco, it's catastrophic and we will win neither the championship nor the Champions League... It's always in the extremes. You, journalists, are always in the extremes. On the contrary, I seek to bring balance with what is around my players and my team.
The adaptation of recruits: “It depends on the language, the personality of each player… Many aspects. We cannot control (everything) and we do not know how long it will take for them to be comfortable. Afterwards, the trajectory of the team is also important to have a faster adaptation. But what I can analyze are the training sessions, and I am very happy, the level is higher than last season, especially in training. But the competition, the field, will tell what our level is.”
The impact of such a long international break: “I can’t appreciate that. It took longer than usual but it's the same for all the teams. Every time there is something new, I try to be positive: it is important for the coaches to have more time. Players must be reconnected as quickly as possible upon their return. (…) The first thing is that we train in the afternoon (weekly sessions are scheduled for 5 p.m., Editor’s note). Players can therefore participate in the session from the day of their return. And we get the players back day after day. It was a different international break because it was very long. Three weeks is a long time and it’s even the first time. You have to log in again. This is what we seek to do in these sessions. It’s more difficult for us after three weeks without competition.”
The match against Le Mans on Saturday (8:45 p.m.): “We always try to show that we are a team and that we have more than 11 players. Tomorrow it will be difficult. We know Le Mans, we had played them (in the Coupe de France). They have shown their level at the start of the season, they are courageous, they can play with the ball courageously without problem. It will be a match in which you will have to be more attentive than usual, managing these phases of play in the best way. There is no easy match, and especially not after an international break. (…) Trap match? There are only trap matches, that's what I always say after the international breaks. It's normal. This is for all teams. This is not an excuse. This is reality. After analyzing Le Mans, we know that we will have difficulties. We have to show that we are ready, we will have to expect to have difficulties. If you are ready to overcome this, you will have a better chance than thinking that it is easy, that no one cares about this match. You will have to be very connected to win this match.
Patrick Videira, the Le Mans coach: “I remember the Coupe de France match very well (2-0 victory at Le Mans in the round of 16, in February 2025, Editor’s note). With this continuity that he had at the head of Le Mans allows him to have a real team, which plays good football and has had results. For us, this will be our second match at the Parc des Princes, with our supporters. We are far from what we want in the rankings at the moment. It’s important to overcome the level of Le Mans and take the three points.”
A key moment in the season: “No. What I have seen since the start of the season, we deserve more points than we have. I am the first to be critical of my players, but we deserve more points. It will balance out over the course of the season. It's not a key moment, neither in Ligue 1, nor in the Champions League, but it's the start (of the season), it's important to have results for confidence. But it would be weird to talk about a key moment at the beginning of October…”
Similarities with Zinédine Zidane in terms of play: “I don’t know. But seeing the first matches of the French team, they had the right ideas to win, to have the ball, to be connected, to be a real team, and that's what's hard in selection, where you don't have the time to work and connect all the players, which is the most difficult to do. The level of the players he took on, of the others, was very positive, and the results speak for themselves (three wins and one draw, Editor’s note).”
How he spent his time during the three weeks of truce: “It only interests my wife and my son. I worked, I was connected with Luis Campos and my staff. A coach never stops thinking about what he can improve, and that's the problem with high-level coaches: you're connected all the time! Sometimes you can't sleep because you think about Le Mans, what Patrick Videira will do. It’s this passion that is difficult to manage.”
Mika Godts brilliant with Belgium: “He was not at the World Cup (not called up by Rudi Garcia, Editor's note), but he is already in the selection and he showed what we know about him. It is important for him to have the peace and quiet to face this new path in the best way. He was very good, with personality, I like the way he played with Belgium.
Désiré Doué in sight with the Blues: “He was like always, he’s a machine! He plays very well. He can have matches in which he is less precise, like Ousmane, Kvara, Fabian (Ruiz), Joao (Neves), Vitinha, all the players, it's normal, I'm not concerned. What interests me is that he always shows his ability to be ready to play. This mentality is hard to have. And I’m happy to know he’s ready.”
How to combine collective and individual talent: “We show it clearly. There are a lot of teams in Europe that play with a lot of technical players with a collective mentality. The first thing we look at in a player is talent, technically, physically, mentally and as a person. Afterwards, you have to have the best performance at the collective level by adapting. But I am so connected with this idea, that I think it is the key to recruiting talented players.
His advice to titis: “Tactically, none. They must understand what we do and what is important. Little by little, they understand what we want, the team's way of attacking and defending. On Campus, the most important thing is technical progression, the ability to play with both feet. If you have the technical condition, you can adapt to the things asked by the coach. It's hard for the titis because there is a big gap between the first team and those of the young people. We try to give players opportunities, but only when they are ready. If you give opportunities when the players are not ready, it’s hard for them to perform.”
Resilience, key word of last season: “I don’t know what the word of the season will be. Last season, resilience was the key. This year, we'll see. It's the start of the season. We started in a different way and it’s a motivation for us, it’s an exciting challenge. After Christmas, probably around March, we'll see what the key word is. We must live these months with tranquility until then, as much as is possible in Paris…”
