Luis Enrique ripped into Xavi’s Barcelona before UCL clash – ‘They play like Eibar’

Luis Enrique, former Barcelona manager and now in charge at Paris Saint-Germain, is well known for his direct and outspoken nature. He never shies away from expressing his opinions, and this was clear in a mini-documentary series titled You Don’t Have a F*****g Idea. 

While the series largely revolves around his time at PSG, it also touches on last season’s PSG’s UEFA Champions League tie against Xavi’s Barcelona, which caught significant media attention.

The documentary gives a glimpse into how Luis Enrique and his coaching staff approached the double clash against Barcelona. 

What did Enrique say?

He was particularly critical of the Catalan giants, claiming that Barcelona is neither a dominant force nor defensively sound. He criticised their defensive structure, pointing out their lack of quality in this area. 

The series further explores PSG’s preparation for the return leg against Barcelona, where Luis Enrique and his staff analysed the opposition’s tactics. 

“Barça is not a dominant team and it is not a defensively good team. They have no defensive quality,” said the PSG manager as quoted by AS.

He highlighted how goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen set a record for long passes during the match, likening their style to that of a less technical team like Eibar.

“They only play long balls. Ter Stegen broke the record for long passes. They play like Eibar,” added Enrique.

Despite the strong preparation, the matches were far from straightforward. PSG advanced to the Champions League semi-final, but not without plenty of drama. In the first leg, Barcelona won 3-2, and when they hosted PSG for the return leg, tensions were high. 

After taking an early 1-0 lead, the Blaugrana’s hopes were dashed when Ronald Araujo was sent off within the first half-hour.

This left Barcelona in a vulnerable position, and they eventually lost the match 1-4, with PSG winning 6-4 on aggregate.