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.
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that → say → trophies
PSG starts the defense of its title on Wednesday against Slovan Bratislava at the Parc des Princes
Only
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PSG → start → Princes
Real Madrid (1956-60, 2016-18), Ajax (1971-73) and Bayern Munich (1974-76) have won three successive Champions Leagues.
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Madrid → win → Leagues
“Everyone is excited and motivated to play against us,” Luis Enrique said on Tuesday.
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Enrique → play → Tuesday
“We have to accept it and step out of our comfort zone.
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We → have → zone
I’m ready to show that you have to reinvent yourself every day.”
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you → ’m → yourself
PSG is not in the best possible form, taking just two points from three games in Ligue 1 and conceding six goals already.
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PSG → take → goals
His team’s faltering start is not enough to worry Luis Enrique.
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start → worry → Enrique
He knows very well that last season PSG needed time to find its rhythm before winning both Ligue 1 and the Champions League.
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PSG → know → Ligue
Plus, PSG had to go through the Champions League playoffs over the past two seasons.
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PSG → have → seasons
“If we only look at the results it’s a disastrous start to the season,” he said.
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he → look → season
“But as a coach you know how to assess and judge everything that happens on the pitch.
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that → know → pitch
There are things to improve, but I think we deserve more points.”
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we → be → 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.
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players → believe → matches
“We haven’t always been lucky whenever the opponents have taken shots.
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opponents → take → shots
We’ve conceded some very good goals.
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We → concede → goals
I’m not worried,” he said.
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he → ’m → ?
“We’ll see at the end of the season what we deserve.
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we → see → what
I’m calm, but we need to improve.”
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we → ’m → ?
Pressure on PSG ‘all the time’
Captain Marquinhos admitted to “a few mistakes that are not at our level.”
“As a defender, it’s especially painful when you concede goals,” he said.
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he → admit → goals
“We’ve conceded quite a few at the start of this season.
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We → concede → season
We watched the videos and work to improve more and more.
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We → watch → videos
We just have to be honest and sincere with ourselves and look at what we can do better.
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we → have → what
We have a coach who is honest with us, and we know what we need to improve.”
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we → have → what
PSG ‘s ambition this season is to qualify directly from the main phase of the Champions League.
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ambition → qualify → League
The club has been handed a tough draw with matches against Manchester City, Barcelona and Aston Villa.
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club → hand → City
“I put pressure on the team all the time,” Luis Enrique added.
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Enrique → put → team
“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.
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you → like → points
It will be like the last two years — difficult to qualify.
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It → qualify → years
In its quest for a three-peat, PSG is betting on stability.
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PSG → bet → 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.
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who → generate → Enrique
The only big name to leave was France forward Bradley Barcola in the biggest signing of the summer transfer window.
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name → leave → window
Meanwhile, PSG has reinforced its squad with the arrivals of Ferran Torres, Maghnes Akliouche, Mika Godts, Lucas Digne and Alessandro Longoni.
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PSG → reinforce → Torres
The new players have not yet settled in and Luis Enrique said he was paying particular attention to them.
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he → settle → them
“We have to assess and support each player on an individual basis,” he said.
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he → have → basis
“We try to provide precise information so they can adapt as quickly as possible.”
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they → try → information
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