While part of the football world has its eyes glued to the publication of the names of all the trophies for the next Ballon d’Or 2026 ceremony, the European elite are preparing for the big start to the Champions League. This is particularly the case for Paris Saint-Germain who will return to competition on Wednesday evening at the Parc des Princes, with the reception of Slovan Bratislava to launch their European campaign. A necessarily special meeting for the double title holder, who dreams of a third consecutive crown, but who arrives at this first day in a context much less serene than hoped. After dominating Europe for the last two seasons, the capital club has struggled to find its rhythm since the restart. And this time, he will have no room for error when putting his continental crown on the line.
Because the start of the Parisian season is far from meeting the immense ambitions of the European champion. Beaten by Lens during the Champions Trophy at Bollaert (1-0), despite a long opposing numerical superiority, PSG then still failed to achieve the slightest success in Ligue 1. Luis Enrique’s men were first held by Rennes (2-2), before conceding a new draw against Lille (2-2), then losing at the Parc des Princes against Monaco (1-2). With only two points taken in the first three days and already four consecutive matches without a victory in all competitions, Paris is going through its most complicated start to the season in many years. The defeat against ASM especially accentuated the questions, since the Parisians once again let slip away a meeting which they nevertheless seemed to have in hand. Slovan Bratislava arrives at the best time to allow PSG to relaunch, but also with the status of the first real European test of a team which must quickly regain its standards.
Luis Enrique demands reaction
Faced with this situation, Luis Enrique was logically questioned about his team’s current bad luck and the need to quickly find more consistency. The Parisian coach did not try to avoid the subject and bluntly acknowledged the reality of the current assessment. “If we only talk about the results, it’s a catastrophic start to the season. We seek to value and judge what is happening on the ground. There are things to improve. We deserve more points. Football is like that. You have to accept it and work to improve. In defense, we must show the players’ room for improvement. We are unlucky when our opponents score. These are great goals. But we need to improve. We tried to show the players to stay more concentrated. Football is not a fair sport. There are matches where you deserve more than the opponent. We must improve our efficiency. It’s the biggest competition. The toughest competition. How many teams can win? 8? 6? 5? We will try to make the best start. You have to stay focused and ready to win this match. You might think it’s an easy match»
At a press conference, the Spanish technician also insisted on the state of mind to display for this new European campaign, with the desire above all not to settle into the comfort provided by the successes of recent years. “I put pressure on the players all the time. I want to be in the top 8. I want to avoid the play-offs. With the draw, it’s always difficult. We will lose points and it will be like the last two years, it will be difficult. I want to be in the top 8, but especially in the top 24, that means we have a more difficult draw. We have the same goal, but it will be difficult. In the early days, I try to convey the same thing: the past is the past. We need to renovate the driving manual. Everyone is excited and motivated. We have to get out of our comfort zone. I try to show our supporters that we have to renew ourselves“, he concluded. Hoping for the Parisians that the message has been sent to avoid the trap of a Slovan Bratislava in great shape under the leadership of Yaya Touré.
