Luiz Enrique Proud of PSG's Champions League Progress Despite Tough Draw
Paris Saint-Germain coach Luis Enrique praised his team's personality and ambition after securing a Champions League knockout spot with a 4-1 win over Stuttgart, despite feeling they deserved more points from the group stage.
Paris Saint-Germain coach Luis Enrique expressed relief and pride after his team secured a spot in the Champions League knockout stages despite facing tough opponents. Enrique described the draw as the “worst of the 36 teams involved,” but praised his side for overcoming the challenges and achieving their objective.
PSG's 4-1 win at Stuttgart on Wednesday was a dominant display, with Ousmane Dembele scoring a hat-trick and Bradley Barcola adding the opener. The victory ensured PSG's place in the top 24 and avoided an early exit from the competition. Enrique's team climbed to 15th in the table, setting up a two-legged knockout tie against Ligue 1 rivals Brest or Monaco in February.
Enrique reflected on the difficulties PSG faced in the group stage, including losses to Arsenal, Bayern Munich, and Atletico Madrid, as well as a draw against PSV Eindhoven. Despite these setbacks, Enrique emphasized that his team's objective of qualifying for the knockout stages had been achieved. “Our objective of qualifying has been achieved. We had the worst draw of the 36 teams involved, which was frustrating at the start, but we managed to clearly achieve our objective, and the performances were there,” Enrique said in a press conference.
Ousmane Dembélé has been nominated for the @ChampionsLeague Player Of The Week award 🙌⚽️
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) January 30, 2025
Vote for him here ⬇️https://t.co/mQi9uavCI4 pic.twitter.com/ramjTByWng
The new Champions League competition structure, introduced for the 2024-25 season, has brought significant changes to the tournament. Under the new format, all teams are drawn into pots and face eight teams at random, rather than the previous system of playing three teams home and away. PSG coach Luis Enrique, who won the Champions League with Barcelona in 2015, shared his thoughts on the new format and PSG's performance.
Luis Enrique expressed his belief that PSG's final ranking of 15th, with 13 points, was unfair. “It was a bit unfair, we deserved five more points at least,” he said. Despite this, Enrique was proud of his team's display, highlighting their personality, ambition, and defensive solidity. “Our team showed personality and ambition and defended well,” he said. Enrique also noted that PSG has one of the youngest teams in the competition, but emphasized their capacity to bounce back under pressure. “Our team is one of the youngest, (but) we have the capacity to bounce back when the going gets tough.”
Paris are through to the knockout phase play-offs ✅#UCL pic.twitter.com/S4YbWaAGPc
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) January 29, 2025
PSG goalscorer Dembele looked ahead to Friday's draw, which will determine their next opponent. While acknowledging that they would have to wait and see who they face, Dembele predicted a tough encounter. “It will be a battle,” he said. The only negative aspect of PSG's performance was an ankle injury sustained by 18-year-old midfielder Warren Zaire-Emery, who limped off late in the game. Luis Enrique provided an update on the injury, stating, “I don't know anything. We'll have to wait for tests tomorrow to have a clear idea, but it doesn't look very good.”
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