Liverpool were unable to stop Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League. Will Luis Enrique be the one to end PSG’s curse in the competition?
For so long, Paris Saint-Germain thought the way to success was essentially replicating Real Madrid’s galácticos philosophy. But when Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappé all left without having won the UEFA Champions League – the club’s obsession for over a decade – another cultural reset occurred.
At the same time, there was undoubtedly a feeling that once Mbappé departed last summer, many disregarded the Parisians as a genuine threat.
To be fair, they didn’t exactly breeze through the inaugural league phase of the Champions League, with their victories over Manchester City and Stuttgart in the final two matchdays only enough to get them a place in the play-off round.
UCL league phase table
Their subsequent demolition of Brest, 10-0 on aggregate, wasn’t really seen as a statement either despite its one-sided nature, but eliminating Liverpool in the round of 16 will be.
“PSG are the best team we’ve faced. They can win the Champions League,” Reds boss Arne Slot said afterwards.
Sure, it wasn’t as if PSG blew Liverpool away. They required penalties on Tuesday having won 1-0 at Anfield after extra-time, with the Reds victorious last week at the Parc des Princes.
But arguably most important was the manner of their progression, this young side playing vibrant, exciting football against the Premier League’s very best. Their first-leg defeat was a shock on the balance of play as PSG battered Liverpool for 90 minutes in Paris, and although the second leg was more balanced, few would’ve come away from Anfield feeling the Ligue 1 side were undeserving of their spot in the quarter-finals.
PSG v Liverpool - Aggregate stats
Combined stats across both legs of PSG vs LiverpoolJonny Whitmore / Senior Data Editor
We also have to acknowlege that this PSG squad isn’t exactly an assembly of nobodies and bargain-basement purchases; they’ve spent €50 million or more on three players this season alone, and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia – who joined in January – was already a household name for his inspirational ascent at Napoli.
However, as their players busted their lungs all over the Anfield pitch on Tuesday, it was impossible not to see this PSG as an entirely different beast to those that have come before. Where in the past it might’ve been hoped pure talent was enough, now they marry that ability with exceptional work rate, hunger and potential.
It just so happens they also have an exceptional coach to bring it all together.
Again, it’s not like Luis Enrique is an unknown quantity. His managerial career to date has been largely excellent, boasting a track record of making teams play high-quality football, and that’s often led to success. He even moulded one of the greatest club sides in the history of European football, with his Barcelona side of 2014-15 winning the treble.
And yet, reputationally, many probably haven’t held him in the same regard as the likes of Pep Guardiola, Jürgen Klopp, Carlo Ancelotti and Europe’s other leading managers.
It doesn’t take much contemplation to figure out why that is. For starters, Luis Enrique spent considerable time in international football in charge of Spain either side of a career break to care for his daughter Xana, who died of bone cancer aged nine in August 2019.
Then there’s the fact many consider Ligue 1 – and PSG by extension – to be a second-rate league, fairly or not.
But PSG’s approach to the Liverpool tie put Luis Enrique’s refreshing, purposeful management style under the microscope.
“Of course we can do it,” Luis Enrique said of the prospect of turning the tie around after the unfortunate 1-0 first-leg defeat. He then added: “We’re going to do it.”
It was a bold statement considering the opposition, but PSG proved his belief was well founded.
He also insisted beforehand that whichever team progressed would make it to the final, and on the basis of PSG’s performances across the tie, it’s difficult to disagree even if there’s still a way to go.
But Luis Enrique’s own record should provide another degree of optimism.
Given the seismic nature of eliminating a Liverpool side that’s made light work of the Premier League this term, it was understandable that a lot of the post-match focus went straight to Luis Enrique.
That in turn put the spotlight on his record in the competition, and subsequently a broader recognition that’s arguably eluded him.
For instance, since his first game in the Champions League in the 2014-15 season, Luis Enrique has won 63.2% of his matches; only Hansi Flick (85.7%) and Carlo Ancelotti (63.5%) have won a greater proportion of their games over the same period.
Champions League managers since 2014-15
That’s striking enough as it is, and probably surprising to many. But in a wider context, his record becomes even more impressive.
In the history of the Champions League, Luis Enrique’s 63.2% win rate is the second best among all managers to have presided over at least 30 matches.
Jupp Heynckes (68.1%) is the only manager above him in that regard, with Pep Guardiola (61.9%), Frank Rijkaard (61%) and Louis van Gaal (60%) the few others on 60% or better.
Champions League managers all-time
Sure, being in charge of big clubs such as Barcelona and PSG helps, but you’ve still got to do the business. While he hasn’t yet managed to bring that elusive UCL crown to Paris, surprisingly getting knocked out at the semi-final stage by Borussia Dortmund last season, there’s a growing sense that if anyone can break their curse, it’s him.
“We showed that we are a real team,” he said after the win at Anfield. “Tonight, with our fans, we played a very good match, and we are proud of this great team.”
“This is just the beginning,” he added, and at long last for PSG, that actually seems believable.
Opta Stats Hub Ligue 1
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