LUIS ENRIQUE PRIORITISES PLAYER WELFARE BEFORE LE CLASSIQUE

Paris Saint-Germain coach Luis Enrique has had to manage the efforts of his international players, with many players only resuming training on Friday afternoon ahead of this weekend’s Classique against Olympique de Marseille, reports L’Équipe.

The Spaniard has taken it upon himself to revolutionise the reintegration of players representing their national teams, with those returning from international duty given Wednesday and Thursday off before training at 5pm on Friday afternoon. For those not involved, they were given Monday and Tuesday off before returning on Wednesday. 

Enrique’s approach has not been without its critics, with some saying that it represents laziness on the part of the coaching staff and the squad, but the Spaniard sees it more as an opportunity for his players to disconnect from football and spend time with loved ones ahead of an intense and gruelling run-in, with the reigning French champions fighting on three fronts going into the final two months of the season. 

Player welfare has been at the forefront of conversations as recently as this week, with Les Bleus coach Didier Deschamps bringing up the subject this week: 

PSG face Marseille in Le Classique on Sunday evening, kick off 8PM GMT.