Marquinhos: Luis Enrique not afraid to make tough decisions

Syndicated reporting provided by Stats Perform and reviewed by the SoccerNews editorial team.

Paris Saint-Germain captain Marquinhos insists Luis Enrique is “not afraid to make tough decisions” as the Champions League holders prepare to start their title defence.

PSG became back-to-back Champions League winners last season after defeating Arsenal on penalties in the final.

Luis Enrique, who also won the competition with Barcelona in 2015, has won 63% of his Champions League games as a manager (50/79), the highest win percentage of any individual to oversee 50+ matches.

However, PSG have endured a poor start to 2026-27; after beating Aston Villa in the Super Cup, they lost in the Trophee des Champions and have failed to win any of their first three Ligue 1 games (D2 L1).

Marquinhos believes he and his team-mates must “give 100%” or risk losing their place in the team.

“He’s not just making tough decisions this season. He has his own way of managing,” said Marquinhos.

“The group has to give 100% in training to earn their place. That’s what he demands.

“It’s up to the players to push themselves to the limit every day. Everyone has to work to earn their place in the group.

“Sometimes players are left out of the squad. That hurts, but everyone understands. That’s football, that’s how it is.

“He’s done a very good job managing so far, it’s worked. He has his philosophy and he’s not afraid to make tough decisions when necessary.”

— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) September 7, 2026

The only previous meetings between PSG and Slovan Bratislava came in the 2011-12 Europa League group stage; the French side drew 0-0 away before winning 1-0 at home, thanks to a Javier Pastore goal.

None of the last 35 European Cup or Champions League winners have lost their opening game of the following campaign when starting with a home match (W27 D8), since Celtic’s defeat to Dynamo Kyiv in the 1967-68 season (1-2).

“This is the toughest competition,” said Luis Enrique, who is wary of their upcoming opponents.

“How many teams can win? Six, eight, five. The difference is very small. We’re aiming for a very good start.

“We’re going to play a seemingly easy match, but there are no easy matches. We have to stay focused.”

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