Coach Luis Enrique says Paris Saint-Germain will need to get out of its “comfort zone” against teams determined to topple the two-time European champion if it is to emulate the trio of clubs that have won a rare three-peat of Champions League trophies.
PSG starts the defense of its title on Wednesday against Slovan Bratislava at the Parc des Princes
Only Real Madrid (1956-60, 2016-18), Ajax (1971-73) and Bayern Munich (1974-76) have won three successive Champions Leagues.
“Everyone is excited and motivated to play against us,” Luis Enrique said yesterday. “We have to accept it and step out of our comfort zone. I’m ready to show that you have to reinvent yourself every day.”
PSG is not in the best possible form, taking just two points from three games in Ligue 1 and conceding six goals already.
His team’s faltering start is not enough to worry Luis Enrique. He knows very well that last season PSG needed time to find its rhythm before winning both Ligue 1 and the Champions League. Plus, PSG had to go through the Champions League playoffs over the past two seasons.
“If we only look at the results it’s a disastrous start to the season,” he said. “But as a coach you know how to assess and judge everything that happens on the pitch. There are things to improve, but I think we deserve more points.”
As for his team’s leaky defense, the Spanish tactician believes working on small details will pay off if his players manage to stay focused throughout matches.
“We haven’t always been lucky whenever the opponents have taken shots. We’ve conceded some very good goals. I’m not worried,” he said. “We’ll see at the end of the season what we deserve. I’m calm, but we need to improve.”
PSG‘s ambition this season is to qualify directly from the main phase of the Champions League. The club has been handed a tough draw with matches against Manchester City, Barcelona and Aston Villa.
“I put pressure on the team all the time,” Luis Enrique added. “I’d like us to finish among the top eight teams and avoid the playoffs, but with our very difficult draw you’re going to drop points. It will be like the last two years, difficult to qualify.”
In its quest for a three-peat, PSG is betting on stability. It has been the European club generating the highest transfer revenues from departures this summer, more than 400 million euros ($464 million), but has sold only players who were used in a substitute role by Luis Enrique.
The only big name to leave was France forward Bradley Barcola in the biggest signing of the summer transfer window.
Meanwhile, PSG has reinforced its squad with the arrivals of Ferran Torres, Maghnes Akliouche, Mika Godts, Lucas Digne and Alessandro Longoni. The new players have not yet settled in and Luis Enrique said he was paying particular attention to them.
“We have to assess and support each player on an individual basis,” he said. “We try to provide precise information so they can adapt as quickly as possible.”- AP
Today’s Fixtures
Barcelona vs. Feyenoord
Stuttgart vs. Viking Stavanger
Liverpool vs. Atlético
Napoli vs. Arsenal
Sporting CP vs. Galatasaray SK
PSG vs. Slovan Bratislava
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