Toronto Star
· collected 2026-09-08 · by Samuel Petrequin The Associated Press
PSG coach Luis Enrique says his team needs to step out of its comfort zone if it wants to win a third consecutive Champions League title, citing the difficulty of toppling teams that want to defeat them. PSG faces Slovan Bratislava in their Champions League opener on Wednesday after starting Ligue 1 with just two points from three games and conceding six goals. According to Luis Enrique, the team's poor start is not a concern, as they often take time to find their rhythm. He believes working on small details will improve his team's defense, which has conceded several goals at the start of the season.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-08,
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Story summary
Luis Enrique, the coach of Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), says his team needs to step out of its "comfort zone" to win a third consecutive Champions League title. PSG is defending its title and faces Slovan Bratislava on Wednesday at the Parc des Princes. Only three teams have achieved this feat: Real Madrid (1956-60, 2016-18), Ajax (1971-73), and Bayern Munich (1974-76). Enrique believes that PSG's current form is not a cause for concern, citing last season's slow start to the season before they won both the Ligue 1 championship and the Champions League. Enrique thinks his team needs to "reinvent" itself daily to succeed, but so far, PSG has taken only two points from three games in Ligue 1 and conceded six goals.
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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
