The pressure rises before the quarter-final return of the Champions League between Aston Villa and Paris Saint-Germain, this Wednesday in Birmingham. With its 3-1 victory in the first leg, PSG approaches this trip to the strength position, but Unai Emery is undoubtedly counting on the overheated atmosphere of Villa Park to galvanize his troops and create the feat. A factor that Luis Enrique, his counterpart and compatriot (whom he beat 6 times in 9 confrontations), wanted to sweep away a back conference on Monday, sending a clear message to the coach of Aston Villa.
While many expect hell for Parisians in England, Luis Enrique defused the question of the atmosphere with disarming confidence. The hostile public, a problem? Absolutely not. “We like to play at home as outside,” calmly declared the Parisian coach. “It is not a problem but a motivation. »» A direct and without detour response which sounds like a way of putting Emery in its place, by meaning that PSG will not be intimidated by the context and that it will take more than the sound of the stands to destabilize its team.
Luis Enrique is not afraid of Villa Park.
This serenity displayed in front of the hostile environment is coupled with an intact ambition for this return match. No question of managing the advantage acquired to go for Luis Enrique. “Our goal is victory,” he hammered. While recognizing the quality of the opponent (“Aston Villa is a good team, with a good coach“), He refuses the status of sleeping favorites: “The Champions League path is paved with favorite teams that have been eliminated. »»
For him, the best strategy remains the attack, confirming his playing philosophy. He also expects to see Villa play above, promising “A very interesting match”
And “Impossible to predict”.
The message of Enrique: Paris is not afraid of anything
This conquering speech is perfectly relayed by its players. Present before his coach facing the media, Ousmane Dembélé confirmed the Parisian state of mind:
“We did not come here to speculate, we came to win another match, playing our game.” Regarding the expected atmosphere, even sound of bell as his coach:
“We know it's going to be a very big atmosphere, but we will also have our supporters (…) We will stay focused on the match. »» The concentration is maximum, the common objective.
In summary, Luis Enrique took advantage of this press conference to send a strong message: his PSG, sure of his collective strength and his ability to overcome adversity (“If we are ready to suffer, we will be ready for the victory”), does not fear the atmosphere of Villa Park or the pressure of a quarter -final return. The objective is simple: to win, again, to validate the qualification in the semi-finals and to prove that Paris is well part of
“Best teams”. Unai Emery and Aston Villa are warned.
