Luis Enrique can no longer hide behind ‘The Project’ – PSG need wins | Ligue 1

WLuis Enrique speaks of a growing disconnect between discourse and reality, never more evident than in the past week when PSG's shortcomings have been so obvious to everyone.

It is not uncommon for football managers to disagree between what they say, what they do and what they achieve, but Luis Enrique explores the extremes of duplicity. “We are not far from Arsenal,” he said after the humiliating 2-0 defeat at the Emirates in early October. Everyone in the stadium watching on TV has likely come to a different, less flattering conclusion as far as PSG is concerned.

Later that month, he added, “Where there are doubts, I see possibilities and progress.” But for many, and as the numbers prove, there is a sense of regression. Defeat to Bayern Munich in midweek not only reinforced skepticism about PSG's 'project', but also put into question their progression to the next stage of the Champions League, with Luis Enrique unwilling to I decided to take over the records. It was his eighth loss in 17 games in the Champions League as PSG manager. No PSG manager has lost more, and his defeat rate of 47% is unparalleled.

What was the Spaniard's reaction to this failure? “I like what I see. I like what I saw in Munich… Everything I see in this project is interesting,” he said. 'Project' often stands for 'we are not where we want to be at the moment' in football, and that certainly applies to PSG. Sometimes it's a vague concept of hiding flaws, but it probably applies to Luis Enrique as well.

There's a lot of talk about how this PSG team is “better” without Kylian Mbappé, a mantra Luis Enrique has echoed even before the Frenchman's summer departure, but the reality is a little more nuanced. PSG do press better and are more organized and balanced outside of possession, but there are obvious deficiencies in possession.

They are unpredictable with the ball and are unable to create quality chances against quality opponents. This explains why only Sturm Graz, Young Boys and Bologna have scored fewer goals than the reigning Ligue 1 champions in this year's Champions League.

The continued omission of Randal Coro Muani is an even more puzzling situation, but also a symptom of Luis Enrique's doublespeak. “I think we will see the best version of Kolo Muani. When he is at his best, he is a very high-level player,” said the Spaniard. The “best version'' of Kolo Muani, France's top scorer in 2024 with six goals, is brought out by Didier Deschamps, not Luis Enrique. The latter appears to have given up on pulling off a €90 million move, considering the former Eintracht Frankfurt forward has played just 130 minutes in all competitions since the beginning of October. This wasn't just bad casting, it was bad management.

In the match against his former club Nantes, Kolo Muani did not even appear on the bench. Despite having 86% possession, over 1,000 passes and 25 shots, PSG could not win. Les CanalisThe match ended in a 1-1 draw. RKM could have made a difference, but if Luis Enrique didn't think so, something should have been done during the transfer window.

There was more a lack of understanding than paranoia about PSG's shortcomings in Europe. “It's puzzling. In my managerial career, I can't explain it. In my entire career as a manager, we have the best statistics on chance creation.” PSG's head coach said that he also did not choose to start Ousmane Dembele, who received a red card against Bayern Munich.

“That's the message I always want to send. My obsession is to see players who want to compete,” the PSG manager said, adding that Dembélé, who has already been suspended for missing the game against Arsenal this season, will be punished again. I answered the question. L'Equipe reported after the draw that the relationship between Luis Enrique and Dembele was breaking down. This was one of several reports of a riot involving multiple players in the Les Parisiens dressing room.

As with Luis Enrique's analysis of PSG, these reports have one thing in common – the style of play is too conservative and too predictable, and his players reportedly don't like it. It is said that the observer is also aware of it. Their dominance in Ligue 1 has masked their problems, but their struggles in the Champions League have exposed them, with the draw with Nantes leaving Luis Enrique with yet another undesirable statistic. That was the worst winning percentage (64%) of any PSG manager since Antoine Combouare. Number opposite the Parc des Princes on Saturday.

Unable to beat a team that hasn't won since August and is second-bottom in Ligue 1, Luis Enrique can hide behind project building and vague notions of “optimism”. It's not that long anymore. Victory, and if it's PSG, much of it is a footballing achievement, with Luis Enrique currently in short supply despite reportedly having recently extended his contract with PSG.

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Roberto De Zerbi said his team had to overcome “mental blocks”, “fear” and “anxiety” if they were to achieve their first win at the Velodrome since September 14th and their second of the season. says. OM have won five of their six away games, but their form at home has been poor, with De Zerbi's players colloquially nicknamed the “volcano” ahead of Sunday's game against Monaco. This has led to reports that he is afraid to play at the velodrome where he is called. A banner unfurled before the match read: “The Velodrome is with you.” The cheering continued for all but two minutes, from the opening whistle to the first individual error.

Although they were down 1-0 at half-time and were booed, Marseille had their fans on their side until the end, and Mason Greenwood's late penalty narrowed the gap between the two teams. This is an important result for Marseille, who not only moved into second place, ahead of Monaco, albeit on goal difference, but also arguably “found a way to play.'' [at the Vélodrome]”, in the words of De Zerbi. It may have taken a week to do it in a rural “commando camp” outside Marseille, but if OM's home form had improved, it would have been a drastic step to allow them to play in front of their home fans. However, it would have been a useful measure. . “We hope this is the beginning of an important story at the Velodrome,” said de Zerbi. Only time will tell.

It's been a tough week for Nice, who lost twice by the same scoreline of 4-1 in just four days. The first was against Rangers in the Europa League, and the second was against Lyon on Sunday, in which Alexandre Lacazette scored a hat-trick. It's been a bad patch, perhaps unsurprisingly. For the game against Rangers, five players without any professional minutes were forced into the first-team set-up. Three of them got the first minute. “We were missing 12 players and after 15 minutes we were missing 13 players,” coach Frank Hayes complained after the game, referring to Yusuf Ndayishimiye's early injury. Melvin Byrd also withdrew due to injuries sustained in a collision with a billboard.

The crisis has deepened after Mohamed Ali Cho was forced off injured against Lyon, causing logistical problems in training. “Even though we have young players, we don't have a group of 20 players who can tactically work with the opposition, so we will consolidate our staff in terms of free-kicks,” Heise revealed. Former Arsenal and Monaco defender Sebastian Squillacci, who is part of Heise's backroom staff, is still able to work in training, but the situation casts doubt on Nice's ability to maintain their bid for European competition. , disrupting the work of the club's medical department. In the spotlight.