The preview of the PSG - Real Madrid faced an unexpected setback that forced FIFA to cancel Xabi Alonso's press conference and the mixed zone with three Real Madrid players, Thibaut Courtois, Fede Valverde, and Jacobo Ramón. The Madrid team's plane departed with a delay from Miami due to the storms affecting southern Florida and experienced further delay approaching Newark airport due to air traffic. At the time Alonso's appearance was scheduled to start, the expedition was still circling around Newark waiting for the opportunity to land in New York.
"It's getting complicated for us," admitted the Madrid team in the late afternoon. Two hours later, Real Madrid requested FIFA to cancel all their media commitments. "Due to the Real Madrid flight delay caused by the storm, the press conference and mixed zone are canceled," explained the FIFA representative in the press room.
After defeating Borussia Dortmund in the World Cup quarter-finals, Real Madrid decided to return to their Palm Beach hotel, about a three-hour flight from New York. This decision was not initially planned as the club intended to stay in the Big Apple after that round, but it was made because the players' families were staying in various Miami hotels close to the players, and the expedition felt comfortable at their Palm Beach hotel, both logistically and for training purposes.
As in every previous occasion this month, including Miami-Charlotte, Miami-Philadelphia, and Miami-New York, Real Madrid scheduled their flight to the city where the match would take place at noon on the day before the game. They were supposed to take off from Palm Beach at 4:00 PM local time, but they departed after 5:00 PM, already causing an hour's delay. To make matters worse, upon arriving in New York, they encountered heavy air traffic and had to circle around the airport in a flight that lasted much longer than expected, touching down in New York at 9:00 PM local time. Five hours for a flight that was supposed to last five.
Luis Enrique: "The secret is the team"
During the press conference, Luis Enrique wished the Madrid team a "smooth arrival," praised Real Madrid's history, acknowledged his preference for Barça and Sporting Gijón, and avoided discussing Mbappé. "That belongs to the past, and the past influences few things. We focus on the present. I don't talk about the past," he replied to the first question about the French player.
The Asturian, Champions League winner with PSG, emphasized that "the secret is the team." "And the players' ability to manage their performance based on the team, not the other way around. That's the goal we all have," he added.
Asked about the chess game he has played this season with his team and the famous phrase he said in his documentary, stating that after Mbappé's departure "now I control everything," he highlighted that "the most beautiful thing is that what you think today is valid for tomorrow if you win, but it's no longer valid for the day after. I said that phrase because it was my thought, but opponents adapt, and greatness lies in controlling less and less. And the less control I have, the more chances we have that the opponent doesn't expect what I do. We have to try to get out of that zone and stop controlling things to make them unpredictable. That's the goal we have as a team," he reflected.
Regarding Real Madrid, he noted that "it's a pleasure to play against them." "I don't dare to give advice to Xabi. We are in different scenarios, one has just arrived, and the other has been here for two seasons. But football doesn't care about that; it's about 90 minutes and demonstrating qualities. It's impossible to predict. Exciting," he declared.
And once again, he recalled his Catalan and Gijón past. "It's a great motivation to play against Madrid. Seeing fewer Spanish journalists, although I see many new faces, makes me happy. I am a Barça fan, still a Barça member, and a Sporting Gijón supporter, so it's always motivating to play against Madrid."