In Strasbourg, with the Alsatian stop arriving between a statement win in Manchester and Barcelona’s visit to Paris, Luis Enrique has urged Paris Saint-Germain to keep their attention on Ligue 1. PSG face Strasbourg at 17:15 on Saturday in the seventh round, knowing that victory could move them into the division’s top three before Tuesday’s Champions League meeting with Barça at the Parc des Princes.
Key takeaways
- PSG begin the weekend sixth in Ligue 1, three points behind leaders Monaco.
- Luis Enrique would not reveal whether he plans to rotate his team before Barcelona arrive.
- Paris travel to Strasbourg after a 4-2 victory over Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.
- The coach expects a demanding contest against a young Strasbourg side he rates highly.
- He rejected the idea that the French league gives PSG an unfair advantage in Europe.
Strasbourg comes before Barcelona
The Barcelona fixture may loom large in Paris, with the Champions League lead at stake on Tuesday, but Luis Enrique declined to look beyond the immediate assignment. He said squad selection is always considered across immediate, medium-term and longer-term needs, while insisting that the priority is to win at Strasbourg and then prepare properly for the next match.
PSG’s European momentum comes from their 4-2 success away to Manchester City, yet their domestic position remains less secure. Monaco lead the table, with the Paris club sixth and three points adrift. A result in eastern France would strengthen their push to join the leading group.
Luis Enrique expects Strasbourg to provide more than a convenient staging post before the Barcelona match. He described the hosts as a very youthful team with considerable quality, one determined to measure itself against the champions. PSG have already travelled this week and will do so again for Saturday’s game, with the coach saying his side are in a positive period and want to maintain it.
European criticism and the identity of his PSG
The Spaniard also addressed comments from Enzo Maresca following City’s defeat, after the English coach suggested PSG could rest players more readily in French domestic football. Luis Enrique viewed that argument as part of the familiar debate surrounding the club.
Before his arrival, he said, PSG were told they could not win the Champions League because of the standard of their league. Now that they have succeeded, he argued, critics simply find another explanation. It is part of football life, he said, and one the club accepts.
He pointed to PSG’s opening goal against City as evidence of the confidence and courage he wants from his players. Nine Paris players were involved in the move before Désiré Doué finished for 1-0, a sequence Luis Enrique said reflected his duty to give the squad belief in those decisions.
For the coach, adaptability during matches matters, but so does a constant willingness to play boldly, particularly away from home. The defining quality of this PSG, he said, is that its players do not play with fear.
Asked whether his approach can be learned, Luis Enrique offered a characteristically direct answer: players must run relentlessly. Age is not the deciding factor, he said; technical ability and mentality are. In his view, the essential requirement is being prepared to attack and defend alike.
