Bayern Munich – PSG: Luis Enrique’s defeat?

After another failure on the European scene, it is time to take stock and a question logically arises: how to explain the new disappointment of Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League? To this question, some observers will emphasize the terrible blunder of Matvey Safonov, at fault for the only goal in this clash at the Allianz Arena, others will highlight the poor collective performance of the Rouge et Bleu while some will point the finger the nightmarish individual performances of Bradley Barcola, Ousmane Dembélé and Warren Zaire-Emery. However, when the ship sinks, it is often the captain who finds himself in the dock and it seems, in fact, difficult to spare Luis Enrique, a few hours after this new setback conceded against Bayern Munich (0- 1). And for good reason…

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Daring choices, lost bets…

When the official composition of PSG was announced on Tuesday evening at the Allianz Arena, the Parisian observers present in the Munich venue initially expressed their astonishment. True to himself and unafraid by the stakes of this clash on the 5th day of the Champions League against the Bavarians, Luis Enrique decided – once again – to surprise everyone. Thus, the former coach of La Roja preferred Matvey Safonov to Gianluigi Donnarumma in the Parisian cages and started Fabian Ruiz alongside Joao Neves, Vitinha and Warren Zaire-Emery to strengthen his midfield. But that’s not all. Sure of his move – or perhaps not – the ex-architect of Barça bet on a hybrid 4-5-1 without a real number 9 (although Ousmane Dembélé occupied this position in several sequences of play).

These choices were all the stronger given the tactical organization of the Rouge et Bleu after a few minutes of play. Regular followers or novices of the “Enriquen philosophy”, it remained no less difficult to decipher the ambitions of the Parisian coach , if not this generalized individual marking, or almost, like the work required of Vitinha to block Jamal Musiala. For the rest? Achraf Hakimi followed closely – and not without difficulty – the flights of Kingsley Coman while Warren Zaire-Emery alternated between a piston role and a more axial position. New features also symbolized by the new and much more offensive position of Nuno Mendes, seen twice as… false number 9. Yes, but there you are, facing a Bayern Munich in full swing – 7 consecutive victories without conceding a single goal – these experiments quickly fell apart.

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Luis Enrique’s starving record in C1

Praised for his kicking game and his contribution against teams relying on intense pressing – which the person concerned clearly did not show on German soil (41% of successful passes) – Matvey Safonov was disillusioned. If the Russian international saved his team on numerous occasions, many will ultimately only remember this huge error costing the reigning French champions precious points. One of Luis Enrique’s many lost bets in this new frustrating evening. In midfield, Fabian Ruiz did not really have the expected impact while Zaire-Emery completely missed the point. On the coasts of Musiala throughout the evening, Vitinha, for his part, did not really disrupt the German phenomenon. Just like Hakimi, regularly overwhelmed by the liveliness of a hard-hitting Coman. Despite increased responsibilities and greater freedom granted by his coach, Nuno Mendes has not really benefited from it. And what about the Dembélé-Barcola duo…

If he cannot be held responsible for the cataclysmic performance rendered by his two offensive leaders, Luis Enrique will, in any case, not have found the right formula to stop this Bavarian machine with its irregular cycles. Questioned on Canal + in the wake of this new disillusionment, the Parisian technician also assumed full responsibility for this failure. “Responsibility is global, good or bad. We must not look for heroes or culprits. I don’t agree that we are looking for excuses. Our project is very interesting, very promising. Even when we lose, we want to attack. If anyone is responsible, it’s me. You found the culprit, I accept the criticism”conceded the one who has a victory ratio of 35.29% with PSG in the Champions League (6 wins in 17 matches). Relaunched at a press conference on the reasons for this third defeat in five days of C1, the Spaniard then pushed the analysis further.

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A coach supported despite the emergency

“In the first half, we weren’t very far away, but we weren’t able to contain their pressure. We couldn’t get the ball back in the opposing half. After the break, we had reason to hope by creating danger until the hour mark, then the expulsion (of Dembélé) was a serious error. Nevertheless, we stayed in the match until the end. In the end, Bayern deserved their victory.. A clear observation calling into question a little more the native of Gijón, often criticized for his disconcerting tactical choices and his equally confusing justifications. However, if some continue today to question the contribution of Luis Enrique to PSG, questioning in particular this upcoming extension, the person concerned wished to keep an optimistic speech: that of a coach fully supported by his management , aware of his team’s flaws and more determined than ever to erase them.

“Everything I see in this project is interesting, I am responsible for the good and bad decisions. Rather than the three defeats, I prefer to talk about the three matches that remain to be played, three finals. We conceded too many points at home against teams who played worse than us. On the attack. Being PSG coach is a great privilege. The demands I place on myself are above external pressure. My goal is to win as many titles as possible this season. In any case, I repeat myself, but all the information I glean is very useful for the future”promised the 54-year-old man. Words which should not, however, calm its main detractors, but which will, despite everything, have the merit of maintaining hope, at a time when PSG, currently 26th in the ranking and provisionally eliminated from the competition, is preparing to play three finals against Salzburg, Manchester City and Stuttgart.