Paris Saint-Germain manager Luis Enrique has challenged his players to maintain their hunger and avoid complacency after the French champions were held to a 2-2 draw by Rennes in their Ligue 1 opener.
PSG trailed by two goals at half-time on Sunday before Ferran Torres scored twice after coming off the bench to secure a point. Enrique made two changes at the break, replacing Ousmane Dembélé and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia with Torres and Mika Godts.
“Football is like that. Paris Saint-Germain have won nothing, nothing,” Enrique said of the new season, in which PSG are defending their Ligue 1 title and seeking a third successive Champions League triumph.
“If you think about what you’ve won, you’re not going to win anything! There is no credit. You have to show every day, every match, every training session, that you’re ready. Otherwise, it’s easy to relax and start slipping.
“I wasn’t brought up that way. We are always looking to win, and to keep winning, you have to step outside your comfort zone. Is that clear?” he asked.
Enrique praised his substitutes, particularly Torres, who made an immediate impact on his debut for the club.
“He wasn’t bad, was he? He scored two goals, but I’m happy with everyone who came on in a very difficult match because we had a lot of trouble controlling Rennes in the first half,” Enrique said.
“They were good on the counterattack and scored two wonderful goals. It was complicated, but it’s important for me to see that so many players are ready.”
Torres, who scored Spain’s extra-time winner against Argentina in last month’s World Cup final, joined PSG during the transfer window.
“We sign players to go on a long journey with them. It’s very positive for him and we’re very happy,” Enrique said.
The Spaniard also expects greater competition for places this season as PSG look to challenge on multiple fronts.
“We’re always looking to find the best players for every match. Places in the team will be more difficult to get than last year, and that’s our ambition,” he said.
Enrique said he was satisfied with the club’s transfer business but admitted PSG still have room for improvement.
“I think we had a very good transfer window, and we’re still open to different possibilities.
“Everyone knows how difficult it is for a team to keep winning. And clearly, we still need to improve.”
