Luis Enrique’s choices criticized
“I have never seen that in 30 years in the world of football”lamented Parisian coach Luis Enrique after the meeting. “I can’t explain it. We were infinitely superior to our opponent, it’s bad luck. The result is totally unfair.”
If in view of the statistics, the result may indeed seem “unfair” as Luis Enrique explains, this is also a constant for the Parisians in this Champions League. Whether against Girona (1-0 victory after a goal in stoppage time) or against PSV Eindhoven (1-1 draw), the Parisians largely dominated their opponents and undoubtedly could (or should) have scored more .
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Can we therefore still speak of simple “bad luck” ? The French press is becoming more and more critical of the tactical choices of Luis Enrique who does not field a real striker, positioning Marco Asensio as a false nine. A choice that has not borne fruit in recent weeks.
“He persists with sterile playing principles and ineffective players. Kolo Muani, whom he finally decided to play again, contributed more in 20 minutes than Asensio did in 67”pointed out L’Équipe this Thursday morning. “The Spanish coach was unable to create momentum in the second half to win. His PSG is boring and without ideas.”
Asked if it would be easier to score goals with a real center forward, PSG player Vitinha for his part preferred to kick into touch: “I don’t know… You never know what could happen but that’s our game plan [de jouer avec un faux neuf, NdlR].”
PSG no longer has the right to make mistakes
Halfway through this group stage of the new version of the Champions League, PSG is in a sad 25th place out of 36 with four small points. Far from the top 8 qualifying for the round of 16 and even the top 24 synonymous with the play-offs, the French club is therefore temporarily eliminated from the prestigious competition. “There are four matches left. As long as we have matches, we will fight until the end. Tomorrow, we will get up and we will continue”, Luis Enrique tried to convince himself.
PSG will no longer have much room for error in the rest of the competition. But the Parisians will also have a lot to do with three trips (to Munich, Salzburg and Stuttgart) and the reception of the ogre Manchester City.
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