Luis Enrique has already reached the pinnacle as a UEFA Champions League coach, winning the trophy at the Barcelona helm in 2015, and is now one step away from repeating that feat with Paris.
The 55-year-old has guided his charges through a tricky inaugural league phase campaign – where they teetered on the brink of elimination before finishing 15th – and moulded Paris into an outfit which could claim a first Champions League triumph on 31 May. The Spanish coach looks back over his two-year journey in the French capital and how their current campaign has panned out.
Final countdown: All the latest
On their struggles in the league phase
If we were to analyse everything that has happened in the Champions League this season, I think it would make a great thriller or horror film because it has had a bit of everything. Through all the league phase matches, especially at home, we deserved better results but they just didn't come. Our finishing was almost ridiculous – it's very rare to see a team at this level with such low effectiveness. The table showed one thing but what we were feeling was something else entirely. We felt that the team was doing a lot of things well.
Once our campaign began to settle and we regained our sharpness in front of goal, I think the team hit some really strong numbers. We've kept improving, we've kept growing. We should be proud of what we've achieved. However, we have to finish the job because what we're really aiming for is to make history. We've been very consistent in terms of our style of play as well as our preparation, and what it means to generate more than the opposition to win the match. If you look at the statistics, you'll see a team that, most of the time, has been better than the opposition, created more chances, conceded fewer goals, but just wasn't efficient in those moments.
Luis Enrique on their road to Munich
"We had to play away at Bayern, away at Arsenal then Arsenal again in the semi-finals. We played at home against Atlético de Madrid and Manchester City. The round of 16 against Liverpool – the best team in Europe at that time, without a doubt, and one of the best teams in Europe this season. So, we were already playing knockout games from the league phase."
On what has changed during his two years in charge
The change and the evolution of the team are clear to see. Our goal was to gradually create something different, something special, something which could attract players and make them want to come to Paris. We had to make the right signings. We believed in the profile of players we looked for, like Willian Pacho, João Neves and Désiré Doué, together with the Titis [players from the academy]. They all help us.
Everyone has given me their full confidence since I came here. I never felt the pressure to win titles. We were close to reaching the final last year but we were knocked out in the semi-finals. We won the league, French Cup and French Super Cup, which was very good, but the Champions League has been the priority for the club for a long time. I'm not someone who projects to win titles in three or four years. That's like waiting for the rain to stop in my homeland, Gijón. It will keep on raining, so you need to be prepared to try to win as soon as possible.
On winning the Champions League with Barcelona in 2015
I remember an unforgettable Berlin final against Juventus. In our first year at Barcelona, it sealed the chance of winning the treble and winning the Champions League, which was very important for the club, for the players and for us as staff. Ten years later, we have that same opportunity. I believe that I'm more mature now. I feel great with myself, I feel complete as a manager and as a person.
I believe that this team and these players deserve to experience this final. The Paris fans and the club deserve to be Champions League winners. They will do it. I don't know whether it will happen on 31 May but I'm convinced that in this decade, Paris will win more than one Champions League title. I am willing to say that, even if I'm not the manager, to show that it's not out of personal interest. Hopefully, we are the first to create history, as that has been our motivation since the first day we set foot in Paris.
Luis Enrique on what winning the final would mean for Paris
What motivates me the most is to make history with Paris, which is what I came here for – winning their first Champions League title. The first one is always the toughest. It's like Spain's first World Cup title. Someone should open the door and say: "We can do it! If we did it, the next generation after us can do it."
On how the final against Inter could play out
As soon as there's one goal, the team that falls behind will take more risks than usual, which changes the strategy you initially prepared for the final. It changes continuously. These are open finals, finals where both sides can score, and the result can be changed, just as it happened in the semi-finals [for Inter against Barcelona].
Inter are a more experienced team than us – they played in the final two years ago. They're an experienced team with a coach who already knows what it's like to play in these kinds of matches, with a team that plays very well when in possession and also defends very well. There's no doubt they're a worthy of being a Champions League finalist.