Soccer Football - Ligue 1 - Montpellier v Paris St Germain - Stade de la Mosson, Montpellier, France - March 17, 2024 Paris St Germain coach Luis Enrique before the match REUTERS/Stephane Mahe/File Photo
(Reuters) - Paris St Germain may be strolling to another Ligue 1 title but they need to worry about this weekend's game with Clermont and not next week's Champions League tie with Barcelona, manager Luis Enrique said on Friday.
PSG, 12 points clear of Brest in the standings, host bottom side Clermont on Saturday, and with a quarter-final first leg with Barcelona to come on Wednesday, it would be easy to dismiss the league game as a mere formality.
"We have important games coming up but the most important is tomorrow. We haven't won Ligue 1 yet, so we need to win three of the remaining seven games," Luis Enrique told reporters on Friday.
"Our level of motivation cannot be questioned. We are in a good position to win everything. I don't want any players to be thinking about Barcelona."
The Clermont game comes three days after PSG reached the Coupe de France final with a 1-0 win over Rennes. With games coming thick and fast, the manager is well aware of the importance of rotation.
"That is how I manage things as a coach in the dressing room. I have never had a team with just 12 or 13 starters," he said.
"I have always got good results by doing things differently. For me personally, I want the players to be committed and that comes through performances. That is when he has been tested.
"That has always been my stance and it has always worked for me. Based on how the players train and do in competition, they play."
Marquinhos is set to equal the record for most PSG appearances, 435, if he plays against Clermont, and the manager was full of praise for the Brazilian defender.
"On top of that, Marquinhos is the captain here, he is a role model on and off the pitch. He is so committed, just as if he were a young player," Luis Enrique said.
"Marquinhos as a captain and a team mate who I have seen throughout the year is able to help the team on and off the pitch."
There was only one question regarding Kylian Mbappe, and when asked if, given his record of 39 goals in 39 games this season, the French forward is currently the best player in the world, Luis Enrique's reply was brief.
"I think, if you look at the statistics, you can answer all of your own questions."
(Reporting by Trevor Stynes; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
