Coach Luis Enrique said Paris Saint-Germain will need to get out of their “comfort zone” if they are to emulate the trio of clubs that have achieved European three-peats.
PSG starts another UEFA Champions League title defense on Wednesday against Slovan Bratislava at the Parc des Princes.
Only Real Madrid (1956-60, 2016-18), Ajax (1971-73) and Bayern Munich (1974-76) have won three successive European Cup/Champions League trophies.
“Everyone is excited and motivated to play against us,” Luis Enrique said on Tuesday. “We have to accept it and step out of our comfort zone. I’m ready to show that you have to reinvent yourself every day.”
Read more:Manchester City training has club vibe as Maresca plays music
PSG are not in the best possible form, taking just two points from three games in Ligue 1 and conceding six goals already.
His team’s faltering start is not enough to worry Luis Enrique. He knows very well that last season PSG needed time to find their rhythm before winning both Ligue 1 and the Champions League. Plus, PSG had to go through the Champions League playoffs over the past two seasons.
“If we only look at the results it’s a disastrous start to the season,” he said. “But as a coach you know how to assess and judge everything that happens on the pitch. There are things to improve, but I think we deserve more points.”
Read more:Premier League 2026-27 mega-preview: Team-by-team analysis
As for his team’s leaky defense, the Spanish tactician believes working on small details will pay off if his players manage to stay focused throughout matches.
“We haven’t always been lucky whenever the opponents have taken shots. We’ve conceded some very good goals. I’m not worried,” he said. “We’ll see at the end of the season what we deserve. I’m calm, but we need to improve.”
Captain Marquinhos admitted to “a few mistakes that are not at our level.”
Read more:Bayern Munich fail to score Bundesliga goal for first time in 18 months
“As a defender, it’s especially painful when you concede goals,” he said. “We’ve conceded quite a few at the start of this season. We watched the videos and work to improve more and more. We just have to be honest and sincere with ourselves and look at what we can do better. We have a coach who is honest with us, and we know what we need to improve.”
PSG’s ambition this season is to qualify directly from the main phase of the Champions League. The club have been handed a tough draw with matches against Manchester City, Barcelona and Aston Villa.
“I put pressure on the team all the time,” Luis Enrique said. “I’d like us to finish among the top eight teams and avoid the playoffs, but with our very difficult draw you’re going to drop points. It will be like the last two years — difficult to qualify.”
Read more:Lautaro Martínez reveals support for Julián Álvarez amid failed transfer from Atlético Madrid
In their quest for a three-peat, PSG are betting on stability. They have been the European club generating the highest transfer revenues from departures this summer — more than €400 million ($464m) — but have only transferred players who were used in a substitute role by Luis Enrique. The only big name to leave was France forward Bradley Barcola in the biggest signing of the summer transfer window.
Meanwhile, PSG have reinforced their squad with the arrivals of Ferran Torres, Maghnes Akliouche, Mika Godts, Lucas Digne and Alessandro Longoni. The new players have not yet settled in and Luis Enrique said he was paying particular attention to them.
“We have to assess and support each player on an individual basis,” he said. “We try to provide precise information so they can adapt as quickly as possible.”
