Enrique urges Paris Saint-Germain to stay grounded after Barcelona victory

Luis Enrique praised Paris Saint-Germain’s 4-2 win over Barcelona in the Champions League league phase but warned his players not to draw the wrong conclusions from the result.

PSG produced an impressive display at the Parc des Princes on Tuesday in the third round of the competition, although they were forced to withstand a difficult spell during the opening 15 minutes of the second half.

Speaking to the club’s official channel, Enrique described the atmosphere inside the stadium as exceptional and credited the supporters with making a major contribution to the performance.

“What an atmosphere we had here,” he said. “Our fans’ displays were once again amazing. I think we saw two teams playing incredibly good and very attacking football.”

He added: “We showed our level. It was a very competitive match and I thought our first half was exceptional, before we suffered in the first 15 minutes of the second half.

“It was difficult to keep control of the game, but after that we were able to create more scoring opportunities and win the match.”

Despite the significance of defeating Barcelona, Enrique insisted the result should be kept in perspective.

“It is only three more points, but winning against a team of this quality is always positive,” he said.

The PSG manager also stressed that elite teams must be able to survive periods when they lose control of a match, referring to last season’s encounters with Arsenal and Bayern Munich.

“That is what happened last year against Arsenal and Bayern Munich,” he said. “There are moments when the opponent has the answers and you have to defend deep.”

Enrique said sitting deep had not been part of PSG’s plan, but added that his team had successfully negotiated that phase of the match. He also praised the impact of the substitutes, saying they “were excellent and gave us a real boost”.

“We are very happy. Now we have to keep going,” he said.

Defensive discipline praised

At his post-match news conference, Enrique said the match had unfolded almost exactly as he had expected.

“I watched exactly the type of game I expected,” he said. “It was very difficult and we necessarily had to defend. The opponents are a high-level team and they can beat you.”

He highlighted PSG’s work without the ball, particularly their efforts to regain possession in Barcelona’s half during the first period.

“We did a good defensive job today,” he said. “We were superior at recovering the ball in the opposition half in the first half, and that was because of our forwards.

“To take the ball away from Lamine, Fermin or Olmo, you either get help from your team-mates or it becomes impossible.”

Enrique also singled out Lucas Hernandez, who scored PSG’s second goal, for his contribution against Lamine.

“He did everything correctly, scored a great goal and provided outstanding marking on Lamine,” said Enrique. “I am very happy for him. He deserves it.”

However, he rejected the idea that PSG had proved themselves better than Barcelona.

“No, that is a trap if we think we are the best or an exceptional team,” he said. “We defended well today, but you cannot judge a team only by the result.”

Enrique continued to praise Barcelona’s individual and collective quality, saying it made PSG’s victory more valuable. He added that the worst aspect of the game was the injuries, with three important players forced to miss out.

“That is the nature of high-level football,” he said.