A monumental slap in the face. Many were waiting to see what this PSG 2023-2024 was made of, with a real test away, where Parisian hopes often collapse. We therefore saw that a new coach and a generous transfer window were not necessarily enough to change the mentality of a club, totally consumed by a Newcastle with overflowing desire. PSG’s usual ills were laid bare by a rampaging Magpies. And it was Lucas Hernandez, one of the summer recruits, not one to hide, who said the words.
“We didn’t put what was needed on the pitch, and it showed in the result, and a little in the game”he said at the microphone of RMC Sport. “It’s up to us to learn from our mistakes. It’s a project with a lot of desire, we are all aware of the role we play for this club. It’s up to us to show that on the ground and not in front of the cameras or microphones”, he concluded. Already on Canal Plushe expressed his disappointment. “I think we knew it wouldn’t be easy. It’s the Champions League, if we don’t set the pace, the impact on the pitch, outside, you end up with a result like that. It’s up to us to change all that from the start of the match, next time we will have to come in with more impact. We knew they were going to press high from the start. It was up to us to know how to manage the weak and strong times. It’s football, it’s the Champions League”.
Luis Enrique fully assumes
Lucas Hernandez discovers a recurring situation at Paris Saint-Germain. And he seems to be the only one to publicly establish this observation. Warren Zaire-Emery, one of the few to compete in intensity despite his young age, for example assured: “It’s not a failed match, we made a lot of mistakes. They went looking for us very high. We will look at the mistakes to improve. » Or even Gonçalo Ramos: “we tried to play our game, I don’t think it’s a nightmare, we developed our game. It’s a nightmare because it’s a big defeat. It’s just a matter of little details. They were stronger in the duels and managed to score their chances, that’s why they won”.
By not wanting to be alarmist for a defeat in the group stage, is PSG not turning away from the truth? Luis Enrique, for his part, did not see any form of logic in this result. “These are difficult matches for coaches. I think our attitude has not been very good. We were good under pressure from Newcastle. We have the first opportunity with Ousmane. But I honestly think the result is a little unfair, not totally unfair. The result is excessive, but I congratulate Newcastle”, did he declare. Already singled out for his tactical choice with a 4-2-4 which did not work, he preferred to assume: “because I thought it was the best and I still think so. »
