Luis Enrique’s barbs at Barcelona after PSG win in UCL – ‘Don’t have the quality to defend’

Barcelona’s 6-1 comeback over PSG will forever remain one of the most iconic moments in football history and is rightfully where the then-manager Luis Enrique’s coaching career peaked.

The confidence at that point was visible through and through as the Barcelona legend affirmed in his press conference that his side were capable of scoring six against the Parisiens, and so they did against all odds.

Just as he riled up and ingrained confidence in his Barcelona team years ago, Enrique did the same when coaching PSG against the Blaugrana in the UEFA Champions League.

While one cannot fault him for just fulfilling what his job asked of him, it is stinging to see the words he had to rile his team against the club that gave him everything as revealed in a documentary via SPORT.

Not with 11, nor 12

As seen in the documentary ‘No tenéis ni p*** idea’, Enrique can be seen motivating his team to come back against the Catalans despite losing the first leg at Parc des Princes last season.

After the game, he did not flinch an eye stating that Barcelona would not have beaten his team under any circumstance that day.

“They were not going to beat us either with 11 or with 12,” he said.

Luis Enrique’s PSG eliminated Barça from the UCL last season. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

Needless to say, that comes as an overstatement because Barcelona were clearly in the driver’s seat before Ronald Araujo’s red card and even had a two-goal advantage.

Also seen in the same episode is his critical breakdown at Xavi’s Barcelona and their defensive style ahead of the game.

“Barça accumulates many players inside the area, and the edge of the area is always empty,” Lucho remarked.

“They defend by accumulation, but they don’t have the quality to defend,” he added ruthlessly.

Enrique’s celebration of PSG’s win over Barcelona created massive rifts on social media given the manager’s history with the Blaugrana as a coach and a player.

“I celebrate the 1-4 in the 90th minute, I celebrate that I am in the semifinals. The only thing missing would be that I couldn’t celebrate that!” he said after the game, affirming his loyalty to the club but respect for his employers.