“The first thing we must do is adapt to the calendar,” stressed coach Luis Enrique during a press conference this past Saturday, just before the final Ligue 1 match against local rivals Paris FC. Already crowned French champions, Paris Saint-Germain made the short journey to Stade Jean-Bouin on Sunday with a clear objective: to “prepare for the final” of the Champions League, set to take place on May 30th in Budapest, Hungary, against Arsenal.

However, the reigning European champions did not deliver the performance their manager had expected, ultimately falling 2-1. A visibly “disappointed” Luis Enrique admitted that he could take “nothing positive from this match, when you play football without ambition and without intensity, these are logical things to observe.”

A more complex season finale than usual for PSG

The Parisian squad now faces a 12-day stretch without any official competitive fixtures before the monumental European final. This situation marks a distinct departure from last season’s schedule, where they contested the Coupe de France final against Reims (a 3-0 victory) just a week prior to their journey to Munich and the emphatic 5-0 triumph over Inter Milan.

“This is a more complicated end to the season than usual,” the Spanish tactician affirmed during his press briefing. “Last year, we played the Coupe de France final, and that was very motivating for us. But we still have two weeks to prepare for the most important match in our history.”

A clear program for these crucial two weeks is now taking shape. “We will do everything: rest physically and mentally, and then we will play a friendly match” next weekend “to increase the football load,” Luis Enrique detailed. Close attention will be paid to the initial reports regarding Ousmane Dembélé’s injury, as he was withdrawn as a precaution after just half an hour on Sunday evening. Furthermore, the potential full return to training for Willian Pacho, Nunos Mendes, Achraf Hakimi, and Quentin Ndjantou, all of whom resumed individual training on Saturday, will be keenly monitored.

In the lead-up to last year’s final, PSG players and staff flew to Munich on the Friday morning, the day before the match, to conduct a final training session at the Allianz Arena in the early evening. This year’s extended preparation period allows for a different, perhaps more thorough, approach.