Paris Saint-Germain’s Spanish coach Luis Enrique (FRANCK FIFE)
Paris Saint-Germain coach Luis Enrique said Tuesday he was chasing history as the club bid for the treble of Ligue 1, Champions League and French Cup trophies this season.
PSG can take the first step by wrapping up the Ligue 1 title for the 12th time on Wednesday with a win at Lorient and if second-placed Monaco fail to beat Lille.
But Luis Enrique, 53, who took over the Paris giants last year, has a unique hat-trick in his sights — a feat he achieved with Barcelona in his first year as coach in 2015.
“Without a doubt, it’s a motivation to do something that has never been done in France, to mark the history of the club, of the city and if it can be for the country, so much the better,” the Spaniard told a press conference at Campus PSG in Poissy outside Paris.
“But for now we just have one title (the Champions Trophy won in January against Toulouse), and we must continue to fight in the championship because the opponents deserve it.”
PSG, who have not lost a Ligue 1 game since September, are now 11 points clear of Monaco in second with just five matches remaining.
“It’s still a long and winding road, we will have to be focused to achieve our objectives,” warned Luis Enrique.
“I hope we can win the league tomorrow, but when that happens is not important, we will have to keep a united, focused team.
“It doesn’t matter when we win the championship, we have deserved it for a long time. The important thing is how we win it.”
The Spaniard said the most pleasing thing was that in his first season “the players have assimilated my concepts and I’m happy with what I see”.
PSG beat Barcelona in the Champions League quarter-finals and play Borussia Dortmund in the semi-finals next month as they chase the elite European trophy for the first time.
They play Lyon in the French Cup final on May 25.
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