Spanish coach Luis Enrique Martínez, manager of Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), took the opportunity to praise his player Bradley Barcola while criticizing the media’s fickleness, and expressed a preference for "a calmer schedule" in reference to the new Champions League format.

In a press conference ahead of PSG's league match against Brest, and five days before their Champions League debut against Girona, the coach emphasized how extreme media judgments can harm players. He recalled the criticism Barcola faced last year.

"Remember the game against Newcastle? (According to the media) he was terrible because he missed two or three chances, and now he's the best in the world. We now have a better version of Barcola, but like everyone, he'll have ups and downs throughout the season," he said.

"The media wants things to be black or white, either you're at the top or it's a disaster. But life has shades of gray," he added, noting that young players like Barcola (22) would be better off without constant media pressure.

Luis Enrique highlighted Barcola as one of PSG’s top performers this season, crediting his level-headedness, humility, and strong family values for helping him navigate past criticism.

He also commented on Spanish international Fabián Ruiz, comparing his experience to Barcola’s: "Last season, Fabián was one of PSG's best, and he’s been exceptional with Spain (in the Euros)... We want them to be at their best, whether it's for the club or the national team."

On the new Champions League format, with more games than before, Luis Enrique mentioned he would prefer "a calmer schedule" and dismissed the idea that playing high-level teams early on would necessarily improve his squad.

For the Brest match, the Portuguese midfielder Vitinha and French youngster Warren Zaire-Emery will miss out due to muscle issues. Italian goalkeeper Gigi Donnarumma is also expected to be unavailable as he recently became a father.