Ligue 1: PSG, first title ball

The question is not whether PSG will be French champions, but when. And in this case, it might be this Wednesday. The Parisians travel to Lorient for a late match on matchday 29 (7 p.m., Amazon Prime Video). In the event of a victory, combined with a draw or a defeat for Monaco against Lille later in the evening (Wednesday at 9 p.m.), it will be mathematically done. Otherwise, we would perhaps have to wait until Saturday and the reception of Le Havre on the 31st day, just before the semi-final first leg of the Champions League in Dortmund (Wednesday May 1 at 9 p.m.).

Winning this title before C1, a goal? “It wouldn’t help us with a view to the Champions League,” assures Luis Enrique. Obviously, I hope we win the championship (this Wednesday), but it's not important to know when it will happen. Whether we win or not, we will have to continue to put the team in the best possible conditions, connected, focused players. We must not be distracted after winning the championship. If this happens, it's very difficult to reconnect. There are eight matches left, I hope there will be a ninth. But we will continue to fight in the championship even after winning the title. The ninth match in question is obviously the Champions League final, on June 1, at Wembley Stadium (London). Before that, the Parisians will meet Lyon in the Coupe de France final, on May 25, in Villeneuve d'Ascq.

As for Lorient-PSG this Wednesday evening, at Moustoir, no worries in terms of injuries or suspension in Paris. The entire Parisian squad is available, with the exception of Presnel Kimpembe, who recently started ball exercises on the pitch. Even the miracle Sergio Rico is back at the club to take the first tests with a view to returning to the game.

Knowing that the Parisian coach turned against Lyon (4-1) on Sunday, and that it will probably be the same on Saturday against the HAC, will we see the 11 type at Moustoir? “What is the typical team? I did not know. We don't have an 11 type, he says. It doesn't matter when we win the championship. I think we deserved it throughout the season. What matters is how we are going to play. This is not just for the match in Lorient but for all the matches that remain in L1, how we are going to play, how to end the season in the best way,” assures the former Spanish coach, adding that there “still remains a lot of work” and rejoicing in passing to see that his players “have accepted and assimilated (his) concepts” over the weeks. They are now capable of being as dangerous in transition as in the possession phases dear to “Lucho”: “You have to be able to dominate in all spaces, all registers. To do it, you need very good players.”

One thing is certain: there was no title shot. Between the failure of certain clubs (Marseille, Lyon) and the fact that Paris did the job, the suspense has long since died down. “We had the best squad, the biggest budget, so it was almost obligatory to win, but it's positive that we did it by being superior throughout the season and deserving these victories, with a good gap on the rest of the teams, underlines Luis Enrique. We underestimate the French championship a little when seen from abroad. Now that I've experienced it as an actor, I think it's a championship with very good players, very good teams, very good coaches. We are superior, by far, in terms of squad quality, but I was pleasantly surprised by the physical, technical and athletic level of Ligue 1.”

Remember that this will be PSG's 12th French champion title, the 10th since the start of the QSI era and the third in a row. Paris, on the other hand, is still chasing its first title in the Champions League. It's still possible. The Rouge et Bleu could even achieve a fabulous quadruple, having already won the Champions Trophy.

Quadrupled, the word is not taboo in Paris and in the mouth of Luis Enrique. “It’s obviously a motivation to do something that has never been done in France and above all to mark the history of our club, for the supporters, the city, and if it’s for the country too, so much the better. It motivates us, but we have only won one title so far. We still have to win the championship and then continue to fight in L1 because the opponents deserve that we rise to the occasion and give everything, and I have no doubt that we will do it. Then there will be the Coupe de France final against OL, and a final is always a unique and difficult match. And the Champions League semi-final against Dortmund, a team we know very well. We are where we wanted to be but the road is still long and winding, we will have to be very concentrated in order to achieve all our objectives,” asserts Luis Enrique, imagining “a very difficult match” against the poorly ranked Lorient this Wednesday (the ranking here). “If we think it will be an easy match, we are wrong,” he swears. Message received ?