Paris Saint-Germain defeated FC Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals last season. Moreover, manager Luis Enrique gave an honest opinion of how he saw the Catalan side under then-manager Xavi Hernandez.
Enrique has deep ties with Barcelona, having both played for and managed the club from 2014 to 2017. So, it felt almost inevitable that his return to club management would see his side face off against PSG.
Barcelona managed to grab a 3-2 win at the Parc des Princes in the first leg, but PSG turned things around in the second leg, winning 4-1 to advance past the La Liga giants.
Nonetheless, leading up to the tie, it didn’t seem the Spanish tactician was worried about the La Liga side, considering how he viewed the squad’s tactical game plan under Xavi.
“Barça are not a dominant team and they are not a defensively good team,” Enrique said in his documentary. “They have no defensive quality. They play long balls. Ter Stegen broke the record for long passes. They play like Eibar.”
Luis Enrique in his documentary on Xavi’s Barça last season: “Barça are not a dominant team and they are not a defensively good team. They have no defensive quality. They play long balls. Ter Stegen broke the record for long passes. They play like Eibar.”
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— PSG Report (@PSG_Report) September 24, 2024
PSG won’t face Barcelona in the group stage of the Champions League, but the two could meet later if both advance to the knockout rounds. It’ll be intriguing to see how Enrique manages another clash with his former club.
