PSG: Is Luis Enrique the main culprit?

YES

The anti-Luis Enrique had the easy part last night. Everything they frequently criticize the Spanish coach for happened again before their eyes against Atlético Madrid. Namely a glaring lack of offensive efficiency, a midfielder who takes too few initiatives, a defense too easily tossed around, a crumbly goalkeeper and a game so academic that it seems to prevent the overtaking of functions. Luis Enrique is indeed dogmatic, swearing by possession and control, arguing that a team which has the ball most of the time will necessarily be in less danger. True on paper but false on the field, since Atlético struck twice and won the match. Luis Enrique says it again and again, he is ready to die with his ideas: excessive possession and therefore false number 9 at the moment, since he no longer really counts on Randal Kolo Muani and because Gonçalo Ramos is injured. What is disturbing is this stubbornness in aligning, in the Champions League, this tactical scheme which does not work. Because the reality is there, with 2 defeats, 1 draw and 1 victory acquired almost by miracle against Girona, PSG is in its place, that of a team which no longer scares in Europe. Hat 1 perhaps, but not in the top 8 of the ranking.

It is a great classic of analysis, but it is rarely denied. To win in the Champions League, you have to be effective on both surfaces. However, PSG is no longer. Offensively, the problem is well known and is increasingly compounded by the defensive aspect. Donnarumma was criticized for his deficiencies in the aerial game and in the kicking game? Now he also misses his line, with a failed intervention on Atlético’s second goal. Did Luis Enrique weaken his Italian goalkeeper by putting him in competition with Safonov, who started to everyone’s surprise against RC Lens? Last point, and probably the most important, Luis Enrique cannot be exonerated from his decisions during the summer transfer window. He did not want Victor Osimhen in particular, believing that his profile did not fit his style of play. Same thing for Viktor Gyökeres. However, he is indeed a scorer who is greatly missed at the moment. Luis Enrique wanted a team of nice guys, where no head sticks out and where ego is banned? This is felt on the pitch once the team stumbles upon the opponent, with a character flaw.

NO

Luis Enrique believes his job is to get the team into scoring situations. What he did yesterday against an Atlético de Madrid defense that was more regrouped than ever. A real sleeping pill for viewers and its opponents, the Madrid club conceded many chances against PSG, counting on a great Oblak and above all the ineffectiveness of the Parisians. Is it Luis Enrique who doesn’t target his shots, or who doesn’t make the decisive pass at the right time? Luis Enrique is the guarantor of the new project, focused on the collective, without an absolute star. And this is the first season that he really has none in his squad following the departure of Mbappé. Some even promised a complicated season in this configuration. However, for the moment, PSG is managing to master its course in Ligue 1 and its problem of inefficiency in the Champions League has earned it a poor place in the standings. But in terms of play, PSG proposes, dominates, creates chances, and the credit goes to their coach.

For his first season in Ligue 1, Luis Enrique laid the foundations of his philosophy, winning Ligue 1, the Coupe de France and reaching the semi-final of the Champions League. He has put together a generous team, where no one hides from losing the ball. Some surely have a short memory, but the performances of PSG during the Pochettino and Galtier era rarely thrilled the spectators, who were waiting for a burst of brilliance from Messi, Mbappé or Neymar to thrill, while complaining about the midfielder’s lack of technique , embodied by players such as Herrera or Gueye. The management of PSG made a decision by installing Luis Enrique, by recently extending him, that of trusting him, after having been so criticized for his propensity to intervene in the athlete, by imposing unwanted players for example. Like it or not, the Spanish coach has total freedom, and it would be incongruous to criticize him for taking advantage of it. Only the results will speak in the end.