Paris Saint-Germain is winless in their last two matches, including the disastrous 4-1 loss to Newcastle United in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday at St. James’ Park.
Furthermore, with PSG currently in fifth place in Ligue 1, plenty of criticism is coming toward some of the star players on the team, Ousmane Dembélé and Kylian Mbappé.
Nonetheless, manager Luis Enrique came to the two players’ defense while speaking with reporters ahead of PSG’s contest against Stade Rennais on Sunday at Roazhon Park.
Enrique first spoke about Mbappé, who hasn’t had the best performance in the last three matches and is dealing with an ankle injury he suffered during the 4-0 win over Olympique de Marseille.
“I remember two weeks ago, or three, someone asked me, ‘Do you have Kylian addiction,’” Enrique told reporters (h/t Paris Fans). “He had scored seven or eight goals, and the rest didn’t score. And now you’re asking me what he should do because he hasn’t scored in the last few games. We need to be a little more normal. He’s 100 percent. Throughout the season, the players go through different states.
“He’s not Superman when he scores eight goals, and he’s not a normal player when he doesn’t score. We need a little more normality. Everything is not black or white. There are nuances, and it is in the same process as always. It’s vital for us, and my objective as a coach is to maximize his strengths and not see his faults.”
Enrique then turned the defense to Dembélé after the Frenchman also came under fire for his production in the first handful of matches with PSG. Nonetheless, the Spanish manager isn’t having any of the slander.
“This data is not exact,” Enrique added. “Don’t you remember the decisive pass to Gonçalo Ramos against Marseille? Doesn’t that count? The problem you journalists have in any country is that your interest is focused on either a very positive or a very negative scenario.
“Not everything is black and white. There are areas of gray. Dembélé is a top player in almost everything he does. I am very happy with his performances. And as the season goes on, he will improve, I have no doubt.”
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