Former France international and World Cup-winner Emmanuel Petit has told Football Espana that Luis Enrique is risking success at Paris Saint-Germain due to his single-minded approach.
Sitting down with Petit, the former Arsenal and Barcelona midfielder explained that he did not have the same resources at his disposal at PSG to carry out the same methods he tried to implement at Camp Nou or with La Roja.
“What he tries to do with Barcelona and the national team is not the same, because he doesn’t have the same players. Sometimes the way Paris is playing is very exciting and I’m enjoying it, but sometimes I’m getting very upset as well, frustrated too, because I have the feeling that he has his own vision. He said the same in a press conference recently, ‘my players have to adapt to the way he wants to play, not the other way around’.”
“I can understand that, but there is a limit. The limit is the quality of the players. The way you want your team to play depends on the profile of players you have in the dressing room as well, and the players you have on the pitch.”
PSG are four points clear at the top of Ligue 1, having dropped points in four games: three draws and a defeat to Nice, who are second. In the Champions League they have been exposed though, and are at risk of going out if they do not beat Borussia Dortmund in their final game.
“The way he wants to play is very audacious, and he takes a lot of risks on the pitch. Sometimes you get the feeling the players are split in two blocks on the pitch. But he keeps the same mentality, every day, he doesn’t change, he doesn’t adapt his vision, no matter who is the opponent.”
“He wants to show the world he will never change his vision. And sometimes you have to adapt to your opponents. He wants to fight to only have two midfielders and four attackers, the balance is not there, and they have conceded a lot of chances. Of course, they have created a lot of chances, and they are still very dangerous, but we saw that against Le Havre, from 2-0 away from home, they played 10 against 11 on top of that, but we saw Le Havre create so many chances to score. Every single game is like this with PSG, they have the ball, they create a lot of chances to score, but they are very vulnerable in defence.”
Petit was of the opinion that it could cost PSG, and ultimately Luis Enrique if he refuses to modify his approach.
“I can understand Luis Enrique’s vision, but you get the feeling he is ready to die with his visions. He’s the kind of manager, he will go until the end, even if he is not right, he will go until the end, and he will not change. So I like it… But it depends on the profile of your players, and I think PSG doesn’t have the right profiles and the right players for this specific style.”
“You get the feeling that every single press conference is a fight between him and the rest of the world. I can understand that, he is not the only manager to do that, but it’s… tiring.”
It is worth pointing out that Luis Enrique’s greatest success, winning the treble with Barcelona, came after he agreed to adapt his system to play Luis Suarez through the middle, and press in stages rather than throughout the match. This only occurred after showdown talks with Blaugrana heavyweights. While at PSG he has Kylian Mbappe as the key personality, both Spain and PSG have both been done entirely his way, with varying levels of success.
This interview was conducted with King Casino Bonus.
