Paris Saint-Germain manager Luis Enrique has pointed towards his team suffering from mental fatigue ahead of the UEFA Champions League final with Arsenal next Saturday.
PSG have had to endure a gruelling campaign in Europe this season, finishing 11th in the league phase before edging past AS Monaco, Chelsea, Liverpool and Bayern Munich in the knockout phase.
Speaking in Paris before jetting off to Budapest, Enrique acknowledged that the fatigue has taken a toil on his team.
“When you reach the final stages of the season, it’s more mental than physical fatigue that the players are dealing with,” the Spaniard told the club website.
“And especially after a season like the one we’ve just had. We need to create the best possible conditions for them when they come to training, so that they can work hard but also enjoy coming to work.
“Rest is also an integral part of preparation, especially when we’re playing matches like these.”
Speaking on the pressure of retaining the title they won for first time last term, Enrique added: “I think our management of emotions is different this year. We have the experience of last season.
“There are similar situations, and we’ve been through them; there will be pressure to deal with, because that’s normal, but I think we’re even better prepared than last season.”
Enrique confident in ability to adapt
The 55-year-old believes his team has what it takes to adapt to whichever they face, something which was evident towards winning the historic treble last season.
“The most important thing for us is to focus more on ourselves, and less on the opposition. That’s what we’ll continue to do,” he stated.
“We’re talking about the best club competition in Europe, so yes, there’s an element of adaptation – because the standard is very high.
“Bayern, for example, are a team who really like to have the ball, so we had to adapt. But I think we’ve managed to raise our game too, and we’re proud to be in the final again.”
PSG and Arsenal met in last season’s final, with the Parisians winning 3-1 on aggregate before going on to thump Inter Milan 5-0 in the final in Munich.
