Paris Saint-Germain manager, Luis Enrique, has revealed that Arsenal and PSG are very similar teams.
Speaking recently during a press conference ahead of the UCL semi-final first leg at Emirates Stadium, Enrique revealed that both teams are superb at defending, attacking and working together on the pitch.
According to him, both Arsenal and PSG are in very identical situations because they don’t depend on one player to win any kind of game, and they’ve both battled deflating long-term injuries this season.
“I think that all players are important in a squad. No one knows what will happen tomorrow but I think PSG and Arsenal are very similar teams.
They are able to attack, defend, everyone works together. There is not one player that we depend on. They have had players that have been missing from the squad,” he said.
The Spaniard believes winning the UCL clash in England would come down to whether PSG players can manage specific parts of the game better than their opponent, because any slight loss of concentration can lead to disaster at any moment.
Enrique maintained that the highly-anticipated match is the same as any other game, so his boys will need to be fully equipped with ways to manoeuvre different elements of the game if they want to clinch the advantage before the return leg.
“Honestly, it is a Champions League semi-final which means its a game the same as any other game.
The key to the game will be how we manage different parts of the game. We need to have a hand of all the different elements, that will be the most important,” Luis said.
When he was asked about Arsenal defeating his team back in October last year during the league phase of the competition, Enrique said that what happened seven or eight months ago is in the past, and he is clearly managing a much better team nowadays.
The former Barcelona manager added that the club had a very intense group phase, and some of the matches almost felt like finals at some point, but PSG is more complete now, and the entire club is stronger for it.
“We had a very intense group phase, with a lot of games that could have been finals. So I think that made things difficult because we were in a difficult position, but it has made us much stronger and we are more complete.
These are Champions League semifinals, but they’re still two games between two teams with the same goal. The key will be managing the pressure.
They’re one of the best teams in Europe and they’ve been doing a remarkable job with their coach for several years now.
We all deserve to be here. I like my team the most, that’s why I’m here. Some people will like Paris more, others Arsenal, that’s part of life,” Enrique added.
Folami David writes on trends and pop culture. He is a creative writer, and he is passionate about music and football.
