Everything is not so rosy at the moment at PSG. The club came out of a perfect week less than ten days ago between a victory against Borussia Dortmund (2-0) to launch its Champions League group stage, then a second, still at the Parc des Princes, against OM in Ligue 1 (4-0). We said to ourselves that Luis Enrique had found his formula of the moment in this famous hyper-offensive 4-2-4 with the front quartet: Dembélé-Kolo Muani-Mbappé-Barcola. The trip to Clermont (0-0) with a slightly reworked composition quickly highlighted the limits of this system.
Faced with a well-organized block, a 5-man defense and a Mory Diaw on big nights, the Parisians failed to find the fault. However, it was not the talent that was lacking. Tomorrow evening for the 2nd day of the Champions League group stage, a completely different adversity awaits the capital club: Newcastle. It is certainly not the tenor of the Premier League but it is THE club that everyone wanted to avoid during the draw. “No one wanted them in hat 4!Luis Enrique plays again. It’s a great team. In Newcastle, the atmosphere will be very hostile (from a sporting point of view) but also spectacular.
Hernandez on the Magpies: “They’re going to come out on the field with teeth like that”
The Spanish coach even fears earaches tomorrow evening (9 p.m.) at St James’ Park. “I’m looking forward to this match and I’m even jealous of my players for being able to play in these conditions. It will be an extraordinary match., he continues. A new victory in England would put PSG in a very good position to qualify for the round of 16 but the Spanish coach also warns the club. Walking through the group stage guarantees nothing in the spring. Paris knows something about it even if in recent seasons, it has not always finished on top.
“It’s a competition that doesn’t reward consistency. There are chickens but after that it’s unpredictable. Nobody in Europe or in the world is going to say that Newcastle are not a favorite like the others. All teams can reach a very high level”, assures the technician who won the C1 in 2015 with Barça. Even Lucas Hernandez is expecting a hot audience. “It’s true that Wednesday will be a special match for Newcastle in front of its home crowd after 20 years without this competition. It’s up to us to know how to control the match, they’re going to come out on the pitch with teeth like that.” Obviously, everyone has been warned. It’s already that.
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