PSG has faced much scrutiny in France, especially after yet another defeat in the Champions League, causing widespread disappointment.
However, one individual, in particular, has been the target of criticism: the Spanish coach, Luis Enrique. Bixente Lizarazu has expressed his disapproval.
The return leg of the Champions League semi-final between Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday night did not yield the results Luis Enrique had hoped for. Before his team’s second consecutive defeat to Dortmund, the PSG coach had told the media that his team would win.
Bixente Lizarazu, disgusted by PSG’s elimination, criticized Enrique’s approach. “We will win. That’s the only sentence I know in French,” Enrique had joked with a broad smile at the press conference before the match. Lizarazu believes that this attitude was a serious communication error.
Analyzing the match on France Info, the commentator criticized PSG’s approach to the game. “They completely lacked humility. Since the draw against Dortmund, they were convinced they would make it to the final. I find that disrespectful towards Dortmund,” he said. The 1998 World Cup winner particularly targeted the Spanish coach: “Luis Enrique said that the only French phrase he knew was: ‘We will win.’ It’s an arrogant attitude; it’s boastful. He boasted. At some point, that comes back to bite a team that, over two matches, lost the tactical battle.”
The former Bayern Munich player didn’t just criticize the coach; he also mentioned Kylian Mbappé’s performance. “He was completely ineffective,” he said. “He missed the chance… we expected him to play a great game and lead PSG to the final.”
Despite this, Lizarazu also commented on Luis Enrique’s management of his star player: “There are questions about Mbappé’s management throughout the season. It was a management full of tension. […] Luis Enrique claimed he was a player like any other. At some point, that can backfire.” Besides Lizarazu, the situation of the Spanish coach has particularly caught the attention of the French press. However, Nasser Al-Khelaïfi, the PSG president, attributed the failure to bad luck. In the mixed zone, he expressed his frustration: “Luck. Luck. Four posts, I’ve never seen that, what can you say?” Nevertheless, despite the setback, Al-Khelaïfi is already looking ahead to the next season, remaining confident about the ongoing project: “We are building something for the future, we want to continue our goal. We have the youngest team in Europe as I have said, the future belongs to us.”
When a journalist dared to ask the Parisian president about a potential threat to Luis Enrique’s position, Al-Khelaïfi responded sharply: “What kind of question is that? Honestly. Do you understand football?” These comments, reported by RMC, reflect the president’s irritation with the question. There are still four matches left for Paris Saint-Germain this season: three in the league and one that will mark the end of the season, with a Coupe de France final against Olympique Lyon on May 25. Luis Enrique and his team will once again be considered the favorites.
Leave a Reply