Luis Enrique's vision of building Paris Saint-Germain team with ‘different mentality’ ahead of UEFA Champions League final against Internazionale

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Paris Saint-Germain have been one of the most eye-catching teams in the UEFA Champions League this season, playing some sensational football under the astute guidance of Luis Enrique. The Spaniard has built a new-look, less star-studded team since the departures of Kylian Mbappe, Neymar and Lionel Messi, and he spoke exclusively to TNT Sports in the build-up to Saturday's final.

PSG achieving their 'dream' due to 'different mentality', says Luis Enrique

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Luis Enrique has revealed how he built a Paris Saint-Germain team capable of reaching the UEFA Champions League final ahead of Saturday's seismic clash with Internazionale - live on TNT Sports and discovery+.

After a slow start in the league phase, the Ligue 1 champions caught fire and swept aside Liverpool, Aston Villa and Arsenal on their way to the final in Munich.

And Luis Enrique, who won the Champions League with Barcelona in 2015, discussed his approach in an exclusive interview with TNT Sports.

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"When I arrived at the club two years ago with my own idea and the idea of [football advisor] Luis Campos and president Nasser Al-Khelaifi, we tried to build a different team with a different perspective and different mentality, trying to play as a team," he said.

"It's difficult but at the same time easy to do when you work with Luis Campos and Nasser Al-Khelaifi, trying to get new players.

"We are achieving things that we could dream, but at the same time we need to go step-by-step and try to win the Champions League final."

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Luis Enrique takes a unique approach to training, often watching events unfold from a higher vantage point. And he admitted that would be his preferred way of viewing matches too, given the opportunity.

"If I could watch the match from [the stands], it's perfect for me, because I control everything," he added.

"When you are in the normal position of the coach, it's a disaster. You cannot watch the players from the other side. Half of the players, five or six, I watch nothing."

While PSG have enjoyed unprecedented domestic success since being taken over by Qatar Sports Investments in 2011, the Champions League has remained elusive.

Les Parisiens reached the final in 2020 but lost to Bayern Munich, and Luis Enrique claimed the club's fans "deserve" to celebrate winning the trophy.

"A big city like Paris and unbelievable supporters like Paris Saint-Germain supporters all deserve to win a Champions League," he said. "I don't know if it's going to be this year, I hope that.

"From the first day we spoke about making history in Paris, it means to win the Champions League. I don't know if we are able to do that but we are going to try."

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