Luis Enrique on PSG's rout of Barca: "It's the highest level you can face"

A "sensational" first half and fifteen minutes of agony that his team managed to survive. That's how Luis Enrique summed up PSG's 4-2 win over Barcelona in the Champions League, a result the Spanish coach credited more to his team's ability to adapt than to any single moment of brilliance.

The coach had nothing but praise for his side's first half. According to him, PSG defended with discipline, won the ball back in the opponent's half, and created enough chances to have scored even more goals. But the match, as often happens against a side like Barca, had its rough patch: a fifteen-minute stretch in the second half when Luis Enrique's team had to drop back and bide its time.

We played a sensational first half defensively, we won the ball back high up the pitch and created chances to score more goals. And we also showed we could handle tough moments when Barcelona had fifteen minutes of control in the second half, we held firm in a low block and knew how to play on the counter. That's our strength, our ability to adaptLuis Enrique

An aggressive style against Barca's quality

Luis Enrique went further, underscoring what it means to impose his style of play against an opponent with so much individual talent. He spoke of an "aggressive" brand of soccer that feels even stronger when the stadium is behind the team, and he had no trouble admitting how difficult it is to press players like Pedri, Lamine, Olmo, Raphinha and company. For the coach, that very difficulty is what reveals his team's level.

"It's the best way to win. But that shows how hard it is to press players like Pedri, Lamine, Olmo, Raphinha, Gordon, Espart, Cubarsi... they have so much quality. That shows what kind of team we are. It's the highest level you can face," said the Spanish coach, making clear this was no ordinary opponent.

The statistic he enjoyed repeating most was the number of goals Barcelona had conceded. The Catalan club came into this match averaging 4.3 goals conceded per game, a figure PSG held to just two. For Luis Enrique, that was proof the defensive work paid off, though he also pointed out that his team managed to score four goals of its own, crediting that to both individual and collective quality.

Asked about the pressure the team might feel at this stage of the Champions League, the coach was blunt: he doesn't care. He clarified that it wasn't a decisive match, but insisted that the squad's mentality is to fight every game as if it were one. That, he said, is the team's DNA.

Still, Luis Enrique didn't want to get ahead of himself. He recalled that last season, at this same point in the competition, they had the same number of points and ended up missing out on a spot in the top eight. That's why he repeated that "everything is still to be done."

The coach also wanted to highlight his forwards' defensive work as one of the keys to the win, and he shared a thought on how he manages the locker room, both in good stretches and bad.

I always tell them they're the best, it's good for their confidence, whether we're winning or things aren't going wellLuis Enrique