Luis Enrique praises Villarreal ahead of Paris Saint-Germain’s Champions League clash

Paris Saint-Germain coach Luis Enrique praised Villarreal ahead of their Champions League meeting, saying the Spanish side deserved better results in their matches against Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund. Enrique warned against relying on his team’s recent results, stressing that wins over Manchester City and Barcelona would not decide the next match.

Enrique said his players had to show ambition and be ready to work and run, noting that Villarreal have a good coach and that their possession-based style and search for solutions would force Paris to produce their best. He also described Villarreal’s opening fixture list as difficult and considered their defeat to Espanyol part of the process of building a new project, with positive aspects in the team’s performance.

The Paris coach spoke about the importance of giving young players opportunities to show what they can do. He said the club’s ambition keeps growing and that this was one of the things he was proudest of. He also praised his young defender Zabarnyi, saying he was improving and could become more important to the team. He added that a run of ten wins did not make a coach a genius, just as losing a match did not make him a bad coach.

Enrique praised Villarreal coach Iñigo Pérez, saying he was optimistic and did not look for excuses, and that he had shown character and stuck to his principles despite defeats. Enrique said he was confident Pérez had a major coaching career ahead of him, noting that Pérez had led his team to a European final last season.