Enrique: A Busy Match Schedule Won’t Change My Style of Play

Luis Enrique, coach of Paris Saint-Germain, the reigning French Ligue 1 champions, stated that he would not change his plan despite the pressure of the match schedule this season. PSG faces Brest tomorrow, Saturday, just four days before their Champions League campaign begins.

According to Reuters, PSG will play eight matches under the new system of the continental competition between now and January, compared to six matches previously. They will play their first match against Girona, Spain, next Wednesday after hosting Brest tomorrow.

Luis Enrique said in a press conference on Friday, “That’s true, the match schedule is slightly different, but I don’t think that will change the way I work as a coach. I have principles that I believe are the best for the team. It’s always good to have around 20 players who believe they can play, rather than just 12 or 13. This is something that helps deliver the best results for me.”

Enrique added: “We are now playing every three days in a packed schedule. I remain calm. Of course, players may get injured or suspended, but I trust we can handle all of that this season.”

It is unlikely that Portuguese Vitinha and Frenchman Warren Zaïre-Emery will play tomorrow’s match after sustaining injuries while playing for their respective national teams during the international break.

PSG may also miss their goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, who became a father recently, and Luis Enrique has not yet decided whether the Italian goalkeeper will play against Brest.

Bradley Barcola (22 years old) has scored four goals in PSG’s first three wins, the same number of goals he scored in the entire league last season. He also scored for the French national team against Italy last week, but the Spanish coach said: “The only pressure on the striker comes from the media.”

Enrique added: “It would be easy to protect the players from the journalists. Everyone is talking about Barcola now. People previously said he couldn’t play and that he wasn’t ready for the Champions League. But we are lucky because he is a humble, hardworking person.”

He continued: “Throughout the season, everyone will have their ups and downs, and we have to deal with that. There is no middle ground with the press, it’s either black or white, but that’s not the case.”

Last season, Brest forced a 2-2 draw in Paris and finished the season in third place, qualifying for the Champions League for the first time in their history.

Luis Enrique said: “We have analyzed what they did against us last season. We found it very difficult in every match without exception, so it will be the same tomorrow.”

Paris Saint-Germain tops the league with nine points, while Brest has three points and sits in 12th place.