PSG coach Luis Enrique's ironic response that made a fool out of the French press

After an unconvincing start, Paris Saint-Germain have been improving their performances during the season to meet all the objectives they set at the beginning. In Ligue 1 they are the sole leaders of the standings with 40 points, 5 more than Nice. And in the Champions League they qualified for the round of 16 after finishing second in a difficult group with Borussia Dortmund, AC Milan and Newcastle. Now, in the round of 16, they will face Real Sociedad.

Moreover, at the beginning of 2024, they have already won a title: on Wednesday they beat Toulouse FC 2-0 with goals from Kang-In Lee and Kylian Mbappé to become champions of the French Super Cup. They had reached the final as the winners of Ligue 1 2022/23, while their opponents had won the last Coupe de France.

After the final whistle and the usual celebrations, Luis Enrique gave a press conference in which he was asked about the team's performance, PSG's next targets and the situation of Mbappé, who has not yet decided what he will do once his contract with the club expires. These were expected questions, but a journalist surprised the coach.

"Manuel Ugarte didn't play today, how do you rate his progress since he arrived and what do you expect from him?" was the unexpected question, and Luis Enrique didn't hesitate to answer with irony: "Today he was superb, zero lost balls, marvelous. Not a single mistake. Perfect". However, he then spoke seriously and explained: "PSG are a first-class team. All the players, in all positions, are incredible. And why is that? So that everyone can work and improve. I'm delighted with Manu Ugarte and all the players who didn't play tonight. They can't all play".

Maybe he'll get another chance soon

Manuel Ugarte did not play on Wednesday against Toulouse FC, but perhaps he can play next Sunday, when Paris Saint-Germain face Revel in the round of 64 of the Coupe de France. And seven days later they will be back in Ligue 1 against Lens.