His rest at the end of last week, for the second time this season: “I spoke with the coach (Luis Enrique), who told me that I would have a few days free. I had a good rest with my family, my friends. It was very calm, very peaceful. There is nothing to say about that (smile). (…) As I said, I spoke with the coach after the France team match. He accepted that I would not play on Saturday. It's not really a topic. When I need rest, he lets me know. Obviously, I am competitive, I love football, I want to play all the matches but out of 70 or 80 in the season, we cannot do them all. He masters the subject, the workload, for me and the other players in the squad. You have to trust him. (…) These last two seasons, we have passed the 50 or 60 match mark by going to the end of all competitions. It is above all the coach who decides and he manages the workload of the entire squad very well. He knows what I need and what I don't. It's not really a topic. It especially makes us laugh in the locker room when we talk about rest days.”
Désiré Doué: “He is one of the most talented players in the world. We know his ability to dribble, score or make assists. He is a very important player for us. This is also why PSG recruited him. He's an incredible player, a lot of talent, he has a great career ahead of him, even if he has already proven himself, by scoring in the Champions League final (in 2025) and by playing very good matches at a very high level. As for his dribbling, there are a lot of them, it's difficult to reproduce what he does... In the head, it's great too. He will have a great career.”
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The reunion with Gigio Donnarumma: “I have a very good relationship with him, we speak quite often. For me, he's number 1, he's an incredible goalkeeper, he's exceptional. This summer I couldn't go to his wedding, but I sent him a lot of messages. He is a very good friend and a spectacular goalkeeper who can change his team and the course of a match with a save, an exit... He is a truly incredible goalkeeper. Chambering before the match? We already launched him in the selection, but I missed an opportunity, he upset me a bit (smile). Donnarumma is exceptional, a world-class goalkeeper, he had proven himself before PSG, notably by winning the Euro with Italy and being named best player of the tournament..."
The duel against Manchester City: “A test? It’s a great match against a very good team, very good players, a very good coach. It won't be easy but we will prepare well to take the three points. It's not a decisive match, but we obviously want to win, we are competitors, we want to win every match. We know what awaits us. (…) It’s a big game against a big team, with very good players. They started very well in the Premier League and in C1. We know what awaits us.”
No, we are not going to send a message to Europe. It's October, the season is still long
Send a message to Europe: “No, we are not going to send a message to Europe. It's October, the season is still long. These last two seasons, you have seen when it will really count, even if it already counts, we have had a lot of difficulties these last two seasons going through the play-offs. It’s important for us to finish in the Top 8 even if we don’t mind playing in the play-offs, it worked out well for us (smile). It's a big match against a very good team, world-class players up front... There will be other difficult matches in the weeks to come. We are preparing quietly.”
His individual performances: “Very good, I’m happy with my start to the season. It's still October. We play the matches calmly. I am calm about what will happen in the future. I'm happy that the team is playing like this. We had to react because we had not won the first Ligue 1 matches and get into a cruising rhythm and above all prepare well for the next matches, it will not be easy. But I am very calm and serene at the start of the season. The team is doing well. There were quite a few new people who arrived, who adapted very well. It’s the first part of the season, you have to be on point, and that’s it.”
The confidence displayed for the rest of the season: “I don’t know if it will increase in crescendo (smile). We are competitors, we want to win every match. We know it’s sometimes difficult, we face very good teams too! The team is very calm, very calm. When the important moments arrive, we will have to show all our quality. But it's going very well. We remain on three victories in Ligue 1 and we started very well in the Champions League (6-1 victory against Slovan Bratislava, Editor's note). We are going to have difficult matches but we are very calm and focused for what is to come.
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The right time to face City in the middle of a scandal: “No, it’s always difficult to play against Manchester City. Once again, they have a quality team and world-class players, a top coach. Playing in good times or bad against this team is always difficult.”
Comments collected at a press conference
