Luis Enrique makes PSG stance clear, depth matters more than fixed starters
Luis Enrique has made it clear that Paris Saint-Germain will keep rotating heavily this season, insisting squad depth, not a fixed starting XI, is what gives the club a real chance of dominating both France and Europe again.
The PSG coach has no interest in building the season around 11 untouchable names. Instead, he wants a group strong enough to survive the full stretch of Ligue 1 and the Champions League, especially with several players still feeling the effects of a busy summer that included the World Cup.
That includes Ousmane Dembele. The former Ballon d'Or winner reached the World Cup semi-finals with France and had only limited involvement in PSG's pre-season, but he still featured in both the UEFA Super Cup win over Aston Villa and the French Super Cup defeat to Lens.
Luis Enrique said there was nothing unusual about how the club are handling him.
"There is nothing new here," he told reporters on Thursday. "Last year, and in previous years, we already had players who were given recovery time. Dembele made a huge effort to take part in the 2 Super Cup finals, and he will be an essential player for us."
"It is important to stress that for players who come back with less rest because they played in the World Cup, I am always ready to give them time to recover. Knowing how to relax is very important."
PSG won both Ligue 1 and the Champions League last season, and Luis Enrique often used very different line-ups across the 2 competitions. Players like Dembele, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Achraf Hakimi were regulars in Europe, but were not always used as heavily in domestic matches.
He sees that as a strength, not a compromise. Dembele started the league opener against Rennes, but with PSG 2-0 down, Luis Enrique turned to new signing Ferran Torres in the 2nd half. The Spain international changed the game with 2 goals and rescued a draw for the champions.
That immediately led to questions about whether Torres now deserves to start against Lille on Friday.
"Of course you like to classify players, this one is a starter or this one is a substitute," he replied. "To win titles like we have, you need a strong squad. You cannot win anything with only 11 players. I need 23 players, not just 11."
Luis Enrique even pointed to the contributions of players like Goncalo Ramos, Lee Kang-in and Bradley Barcola as examples of why PSG have been able to keep winning. Ramos and Lee have now left, while Barcola appears close to joining Liverpool, though Luis Enrique noted that for now "he is still a PSG player."
Even the Champions League draw did not tempt him into extra drama.
Luis Enrique admitted he chose not to watch it at all.
"The 1st year I watched it in the office. The 2nd and 3rd year too, and all 3 times it was a disaster because we always got the hardest opponents," he said. "So now I will ride my bike around Paris. When I get home, people will tell me how the draw went."
Either way, it fits the mood around PSG right now. Luis Enrique is trying to keep the squad fresh, keep egos under control and keep the season moving without becoming obsessed with who starts every match. For him, that is how big teams stay alive across the whole year.
