Soccer
Luis Enrique refuses to be drawn on Bradley Barcola links to Liverpool
Paris St Germain manager Luis Enrique has refused to comment on Bradley Barcola’s potential summer switch to Liverpool.
France winger Barcola is understood to be a target for new Reds boss Andoni Iraola as he bids to bolster the ranks at Anfield.
The 23-year-old, who scored three goals for France at the World Cup, is back with the PSG squad for Wednesday’s Super Cup showdown against Europa League winners Aston Villa in Salzburg.
And when quizzed about Barcola’s future, Luis Enrique said: “I don’t know and I don’t want to speak about any player individually.
“Because it’s always dangerous when you are asking something positive or negative about a player. I stay focused on my team.”
Barcola only returned to Paris last Monday, along with PSG’s other French and Spanish players who were at the World Cup, but could still feature against Villa.
“We are going to train today,” added Luis Enrique. “We are tying to analyse everything and after that we are going to make our decision.
“It’s a surreal situation. The international players, French, Spanish, arrived on Monday. That’s just one week.
“But we prepared in the best way possible and we’re happy to play this game, because it means we won an important title, the Champions League.
“It’s very important for us and our club to win. But in terms of preparation, it’s not what it should have been.”
PSG were not entirely happy with their preparations upon arriving in Salzburg, either, as the dressing room they were given at the Red Bull Arena was not big enough, forcing UEFA to allocate some extra space.
Their trophy room is also getting cramped, with Luis Enrique adding nine more pieces of silverware in the last two seasons.
The Spaniard is not resting on his laurels, though, making no secret of his desire to emulate Real Madrid by winning a third consecutive Champions League title.
“We set out ambitious objectives and we continue to do so,” he said. “In this moment it’s a different scenario because everyone thinks we can win again. But we need to show our level on the pitch.
“If you look back in history it’s difficult to find a team that wins all the time – but that’s what we are striving for.”
PSG captain Marquinhos revealed the head coach had told them three years ago that they needed to climb Everest, which was apt as the Brazilian spoke to the media in the foothills of the Northern Salzburg Alps.
“It’s the philosophy of the club, the coach and the management,” said Marquinhos.
“Every day in training sessions our coach is looking to strive for the best. On day one he said we have Everest to climb and we keep going up and trying to improve and improve.”
