Luis Enrique has said there is no clear favourite ahead of the UEFA Champions League Final in Budapest, while praising Arsenal and their Premier League title success under manager Mikel Arteta.
Speaking at his pre match press conference, the Paris Saint-Germain head coach highlighted the achievements of Arsenal this season and the consistency they showed in the Premier League.
“I’m not surprised he took them to the title. They are worthy of winning the Premier League, they were consistent. It wasn’t easy with Man City on their tail, but they deserve the title.
“In six-and-a-half years, he knows the ins and outs of Arsenal,” Luis Enrique said.
He also addressed comparisons between the two finalists, noting that both teams have reached the final through different strengths but similar overall effectiveness.
“It’s not two different ideas. They are also a very high scoring team and we also defend well. We are looking at the same destination, just taking different routes,” he said.
PSG and Arsenal have met three times over the past two seasons, with PSG winning the two most recent encounters in last season’s semi-finals, both home and away. Despite that record, Luis Enrique said preparations have been detailed and focused.
“We’ve spent time analysing an opponent that we know very well, we’ve played against them a few times.
“There are always things you can fine tune and that’s what we do in our sessions. Managing the final is always different, and you have to make the most of it,” he said.
Luis Enrique added that he does not believe either side holds an advantage going into the match.
“Final’s always a difficult game. Last year was exceptional, we dominated against Inter. In the final tomorrow, I don’t think there’s a favourite, honestly. For us, the devil’s in the detail. We’ll have to give it our all for all 90 minutes, but always enjoy those 90 minutes.”
He also responded to comments made by Arteta during Arsenal’s title celebrations, where the Arsenal manager suggested his side would become European champions.
“I don’t think there’s any better motivation than winning the Champions League. The rest is just strategy. We’ve both won our respective leagues, now I’m focused on what’s best for our team in the final,” Luis Enrique said.
“We’re trying to stay concentrated on what’s important. We have already gone down in the history books as one of the best teams in the world, and we want to repeat it,” he added.
