Paris Saint-Germain manager Luis Enrique says he will not “waste energy” on reports of dressing room unrest amid a scrappy Champions League campaign for the Ligue 1 leaders.
PSG have lost three and drawn one of their five European games, putting the 2019/20 finalists at risk of automatic elimination from the competition.
The French champions are seven points clear of Marseille and Monaco at the top of the domestic table but went down at home to second-placed Nantes in their last league game, throwing away the lead for a 1-1 draw on November 30 .
🚴❤️💙 Luis Enrique & @GroupamaFDJ: Football meets cycling, passion and performance
Watch the full video on YouTube 👀
📺📺 https://t.co/qbiCnsk48P pic.twitter.com/VMLXR61IzE
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) December 5, 2024
Luis Enrique: “Battle for representation” of PSG
“I have been in the world of football for more than 30 years,” said Enrique, via The Team. “It doesn’t affect me much. I learn about these rumors before the press conference because my press officer tells me about them.
“It’s sad because it’s fake. I focus on what I can control. I’m not going to waste my energy on what’s being said around the club. My battle is to represent my team.”
The Spaniard has overseen a four-game winless run in the Champions League after a 90th-minute own goal from goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga gave Paris a 1-0 win over Girona in their league opener of the season.
They lost 2-0 to Arsenal and 1-0 to Bayern Munich either side of a 1-1 home draw with PSV and a 2-1 defeat at away side Atletico Madrid.
WZE 👊 https://t.co/YcEwn13Rwh pic.twitter.com/M3adRAJPyp
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) December 4, 2024
The PSG team is “excellent”.
Enrique described suggestions that the defeat to Bayern had heightened tensions behind the scenes as “strange”. “The changing room is great – top notch on a human level,” he added.
“The professional level is excellent. I always praised the team. I am not going to respond to any rumors or lies that may arise. I’m not going to get involved in this game. The team is excellent.
“You will hardly hear me say bad things about a player in public. If I do it in the locker room, it’s because that’s where I have to do it. But I’m not going to get involved in speculation about lies or rumours.”
Auxerre vs PSG
With their nearest rivals not in action until later in the week, PSG can extend their lead in Ligue 1 when they visit eighth-placed Auxerre on Friday (8pm GMT).
“For me, it’s still a very good season,” Enrique said. “It is true that we made mistakes. We analyzed them. I even consider the problems we faced in the Champions League as positive because it does not reflect the quality of the team.
“There is nothing like suffering to overcome yourself … what the team transmits in training is positive.”
