Liam Rosenior's Strasbourg beat PSG at the weekend.Liam Rosenior's Strasbourg beat PSG at the weekend.
Liam Rosenior's Strasbourg beat PSG at the weekend. | AFP via Getty Images
Paris Saint-Germain will look to bounce back from Ligue 1 defeat against Arsenal in the Champions League this week.
Luis Enrique’s side were humbled by Strasbourg in Ligue 1 on Saturday with the hosts picking up a huge three points in their pursuit of European football. A Lucas Hernandez own goal and Felix Lemarechal strike put Strasbourg 2-0 up at half time and a Bradley Barcola finish early in the second half couldn’t help inspire a comeback with the scoreline finishing at 2-1.
That knock in PSG confidence could be a huge boost for Arsenal, who too look to bounce back after league defeat. The Gunners were beaten 2-1 by AFC Bournemouth at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday.
Liam Rosenior on Strasbroug ‘mentality’
PSG have already won Ligue 1 but have now not won any of their last three games in the competition. Speaking after the game, Rosenior said: “They played with a great spirit, we had to defend a lot. For me, Paris is the best team in Europe, and even with a lot of changes, they’ve got some incredible players. We had to fight a lot and in the first half we played some incredible soccer.”
The Strasbourg manager took over at the club in July 2024, replacing Patrick Vieira. The former Fulham and Hull City man is looking for a top four finish this term having placed 13th last season.
Speaking after beating PSG, Rosenior spoke about how he used the underdog mentality to inspire a result, in words that could benefit Arsenal. He said: “It’s about believing, going with your heart and sacrificing yourself for the team. You always have to do well in training every day – it’s not just the game. The players work really hard in training and that’s what keeps them going, and we’ve got an incredible team. That’s the mentality, we’re consistent and I’m very proud as a coach.”
Mikel Arteta to use ‘rage’ against Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday
Arsenal take on PSG at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday at 8 pm and must comeback from the 1-0 defeat on home turf. Ousmane Dembele was the difference maker in that fixture, scoring after just four minutes.
Speaking after the defeat to Andoni Iraola’s AFC Bournemouth, Arteta said: “We started and we did the most difficult one to score the goal. I think after that we had four or five very open situations to score the second one. We didn't kill it and after that, on top of that, you defend the box really poorly, the way we've done it in the two set-pieces that we have conceded again. So they're going to punish you and a team like Bournemouth, they're going to punish you.
“And after that the game becomes rushed, very chaotic. That's why they want big spaces. They have more legs than us, especially with sets and plays that were struggling in the final minutes. And we weren't able to get the result that we wanted, so we're very disappointed.
“We certainly wanted to create a really good vibe [going into Wednesday], a positive result would really help us to build what we wanted towards Wednesday. So what we have created now is a lot of rage, anger, frustration and a bad feeling in the tummy. So make sure that we use that for Wednesday to have a massive performance in Paris, win the game and be in the final.”
In other news, Arsenal striker set for exit before Andrea Berta ignites Ollie Watkins transfer battle.
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