PSG v Strasbourg: Luis Enrique on injuries, prep and Ramos | OneFootball

Friday, during the 8th day of Ligue 1 2025-2026, Paris Saint-Germain (1st) will face Strasbourg (3rd) at Parc des Princes (kick-off at 8:45 PM, broadcast on Ligue1+). On the eve of this match, Parisian coach Luis Enrique answered several questions in a press conference.

Luis Enrique "There are different situations to analyze individually."

Is the return from the break a new chapter with the return from injuries?

There are always surprises during an international break. We have to wait for the players to return and see how they are. I don't know yet for everyone. There are different situations to analyze individually.

Is Pacho the best defender in the world?

That's the problem when trying to be sincere, next week, we'll talk about Marquinhos, then another. It's not the time to talk. We are at the beginning of a season. To analyze a player, a team, you have to wait until the end of the season and see the level. I can only say positive things about Pacho, but it's not the time to analyze each player individually.

Luis Enrique "Today, we will have the first and last training session of the week."

Are Doué and Marquinhos ready for tomorrow?

I don't know. There's the medical point and the different thing is what I want on the field. Today, we will have the first and last training session of the week. We need to talk with the players to know their feelings. But it's good news to know they are ready.

Do you still do as much sport as when you were a player?

I can't do it, I'm 55 years old, I'm more like a grandfather (smile). I do the sport I can and I am active, I like doing sports. It's important for me.

Do you feel that the hardest part is over in terms of injuries?

No, I don't know what will happen in the future. We will be ready to manage positive and negative things in the best way. I hope there will be as few injuries as possible, but I can't assure it.

Was Barcola injured since the match against Atalanta?

I'm not interested. Around a high-level club, there is always a lot of noise. I'm only interested in the players' level and their health.

Luis Enrique "There is the medical form, it's a reference for training. But then, you have to see on the field."

Will your approach be different on returns from injuries? Will you take more precautions? Is Dembélé's return planned before the break?

I don't know what day it will be. But it's easy, there are training sessions to see the players' level. Normally, we are a staff that tries not to take risks with the players' health. But injuries are part of football. We have to accept it. But we always have the same mentality, like other coaches, we want to improve the players' health.

When we recover players and they train, it's easy to see when they are ready. I can see it. There is the medical form, it's a reference for training. But then, you have to see on the field.

Are young players ready earlier than before in football?

I think a 30-year-old player is still young. We have one of the youngest squads, but all professional players are young and they are ready to recover. They are professionals.

What ingredients to put against Strasbourg? A good one before the UCL?

It's always difficult after the international break. Strasbourg and its coach have a very good team, there are the results. It will be more complicated than usual. It's also a very young team. We are back, we want to play these matches with results. But we resume with one of the most difficult matches.

Luis Enrique "It's high-level sport. You have to know how to live with it."

Strasbourg then the UCL on Tuesday, does only a recovery match change anything?

No, nothing. We are used to it. We have a complete training session before the resumption, after it's recovery and a little bit of preparation before the next match. It's not a tough training, with a lot of tactical work. But it doesn't change anything, we are used to preparing this way. It's a bit less good to prepare like that.

Do these injuries also allow players to have rest? Is it nature taking its course?

It's nature, football. An injury has several factors. When there is a defeat or a victory, it's the same. The difficulty is knowing where the spaces are to improve. But we are used to overcoming these situations. It's high-level sport. You have to know how to live with it.

Luis Enrique "We have confidence in Gonçalo."

Are you satisfied with Gonçalo Ramos?

Of course. He is an important player for us. He is a professional player and I am very happy with his performances. You judge players by their performances, their output, forwards have different phases. We have confidence in Gonçalo.

Do you feel you have a mental edge over the opponent regardless of your absentees?

You have to ask them. We want to prepare each match the same way. When everyone is there, it's nice. Otherwise, you have to prepare well too. Since we started here, we have always tried to do the same thing: have the ability to manage matches and be dominant. It's important for us, it's our mentality. But we have to adapt every year, opponents analyze and we have to keep improving.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇫🇷 here.