“Being an author means accepting your ideas for better or for worse”. Borrowed from the famous philosopher Edgar Morin, these words can also be applied to the coaching profession. Coming out of the shock lost by Paris Saint-Germain on the Arsenal pitch (0-2), Luis Enrique can attest to this. And for good reason. If the club from the French capital suffered its first big setback of the season on the pitch at the Emirates Stadium, the Spanish technician stood out for his choices, well before the kick-off given by Slavko Vincic . Cooled by the behavior of Ousmane Dembélé, the former Barça coach decided, as such, to do without the services of the Parisian number 10.
“There was no argument between the coach and the player, that is completely false. There is just a problem of commitment from the player to the team and not between the player and the coach.however, justified the person concerned in a pre-match press conference. An assumed choice resulting from other… choices. Orphaned by his offensive leader in London, Luis Enrique then decided to launch Désiré Doué into the deep end for his first start in C1 under the Ile-de-France colors. Preferred over Randal Kolo Muani and Marco Asensio, the former Rennais accompanied Kang-In Lee, once again positioned as false number 9, and Bradley Barcola on the attacking front.
Debatable and discussed choices…
Architect of the Parisian collective, the 54-year-old Spaniard also deprived himself of Fabian Ruiz in the midfield, opting instead for a trio composed of João Neves, Vitinha and Warren Zaire-Emery. So many decisions are now questionable given the outcome of this European evening… Certainly, Luis Enrique is undoubtedly not the only one responsible for this bitter defeat (0-2) as PSG – as a whole – has shown its limits. From Gianluigi Donnarumma, guilty of two blunders, to the offensive impotence of the reigning French champions, including the midfielder who is too often pierced, the current L1 leader has fallen from a height.
However, the PSG coach, who currently has the highest defeat ratio in the Champions League under QSI (43% – 6/14), crystallizes the debates and raises many questions. Was it wise to deprive yourself of Ousmane Dembélé for such a meeting? Some will see it as a strong message sent by the native of Gijón, preferring to defend the institution. Others note today an excess of zeal. One thing is certain, if the absence of the former Barcelona player does not explain everything, it will have largely contributed to the offensive loss of the Parisians on the London side. Unable to find the fault against the Gunners, PSG could only note the damage. Sent to the brink by his coach, Désiré Doué was clearly overwhelmed by events.
Luis Enrique assumes but…
Non-existent on his side and caught up in the physical combat (2 small duels won out of 8), the French Espoirs international, who received a score of 3, was never able to make the difference (9 lost balls, one successful little dribble). A non-paying choice and all the more questioning given the turn of events. It should, in this respect, be noted that PSG were especially dangerous when Kang-In Lee found the right side and Randal Kolo Muani, still left on the bench at kick-off, came into play in a role of a real number 9. It is difficult, however, for the latter to regain this confidence in front of goal by only playing a few snatches of matches (only one start since the start of the season).
At the final whistle, the questions – until then left unanswered – began to arise. The first concerning Ousmane Dembélé. Asked about Canal + by Margot Dumont, Luis Enrique this time made another choice: that of silence. The special envoy then hastened to relaunch the Spaniard on the tactical dimension. But there again: grimace soup. “No, I have no intention of explaining my tactics, because you wouldn’t understand them. A lot of things will have to be corrected but I have no intention of explaining it”coldly retorted the Parisian technician. Present at a press conference, the main actor of a film which will not be eligible for the Césars was, however, somewhat more verbose. “Honestly, I don’t come here to individualize a defeat. If so, the defeat is mine.first admitted the ex-coach of La Roja before praising the performance of the Londoners and poking his players…
A communication criticized
“The opponent was better, in the pressure, the duels. They took fewer risks after the break, but our defeat was deserved. To know the real level of our team, we will have to wait until the end of the season. There will be other high-level matches which will allow us to position ourselves. It is impossible to have a result when you cannot win duels. Their attackers managed to anticipate the play of our defenders but our attackers never managed to anticipate the play of their defenders. They were superior to us from the first minute. Our opponents were one of the best teams in Europe, even in the world, including in the air sector. The second goal is an easy cross. All teams need to improve, ours included.. A lucid observation which does not, however, provide any more answers to the various questions mentioned above. Enough to fuel some frustrations…
“I simply think that it is a club, managers and a coach who lack humility. In football, you have to show humility. Thinking that you can play in a way is one thing. Not being able to achieve it is another. When I hear that he is there to build a team… No, when you come to PSG, you come to win. You must have a real awareness of what you are. PSG has not progressed for years because this observation has not been realized.Sidney Govou got carried away with this in mind at the microphone of Canal +. An opinion also shared by Samir Nasri, far from being convinced by the methods and playing philosophy of the Ile-de-France tactician.
“His way of playing is not good, he does not adapt to his squad, he believes that he will copy what he did with Spain and Barça at PSG. But you don’t have Busquets, Rakitic, Xavi, Iniesta (…) With the players you have in your team, for me, you have to play fast attack and counterattack.noted the former Marseillais. If the answers provided by Luis Enrique on Tuesday evening did not fail to tense the various observers, others will now be expected: this time on the ground. As brilliant in Ligue 1 as disappointing on the European scene since the resumption, Paris Saint-Germain, currently in 18th place, will indeed have to react during the receptions of PSV Eindhoven, on October 22, and the Atlético de Madrid, November 6. At the risk of experiencing new distressing evenings…
