Two weeks before the Champions League final against Arsenal, minds are already clearly turned towards Budapest. The match against Paris FC, Sunday, on behalf of the 34e and last day of Ligue 1, was the perfect illustration of this. And not only because of the exit, as a precaution, of Ousmane Dembélé shortly before the half-hour mark.
The Parisian players played with the handbrake and were left to lose 2-1 on the pitch at Stade Jean-Bouin despite Bradley Barcola opening the score shortly after returning from the locker room. Alimani Gory first equalized following a set piece at the start of the last quarter of an hour before doubling the lead in the final moments of added time after a well-executed counter-attack. Enough to provoke the anger of Luis Enrique
But more than the defeat, it was the performance delivered by the Parisians which disappointed the Parisian coach. The former midfielder also strongly criticized his players after the meeting. “The first half was very low level. We created very little. Nothing. It’s difficult to evaluate the performance of our team today. It’s without a doubt the worst match in the three years I’ve been at the club, he first lashed out at the microphone of Ligue 1+. When you play without intensity and without ambition, something can happen and what we showed in this match. »
And the native of Asturias gave it another layer at a press conference. “There is absolutely nothing positive about this match. In football, you always have to have ambition and intensity, he lashed out. These are normal things to have. I knew it would be difficult to find motivation for the players, but I am still very disappointed. Especially since I believe that you have duties when you are a Paris Saint-Germain player. For me, it must be different. I expect a lot more from my players. »
“You have to stay professional”
“We can lose a match. I always have a lot of respect for the players but you have to remain professional, with real intentions. But I repeat, without intensity, without ambition, it’s difficult to play football”he continued, adding:
“Last year, the players were more concerned because we played in the Coupe de France final. It was more motivating. »
Despite the prospect of the Champions League final, Luis Enrique fears that this demobilization will also be felt during the next training sessions. “I hope we won’t have to insist on motivating them during training. But with tonight’s match, I feel the opposite.”he cursed.
