PSG's Poor Start: Luis Enrique Warned Not to Push His Advantage Too Far

PSG suffered their second consecutive Ligue 1 defeat on Friday evening, losing 2-1 to Monaco at Parc des Princes in matchday 3. Since their UEFA Super Cup victory over Aston Villa (2-1), the Parisians have failed to win: two draws and two defeats in four matches across all competitions.

At his post-match press conference, Luis Enrique did not appear particularly concerned, believing his team deserved to win based on how the match unfolded. However, voices in the media are beginning to question his management.

Journalist Dave Appadoo spoke on L’Équipe’s broadcast to deliver a direct warning to the Spanish coach, a two-time UEFA Champions League winner with the club. “Mr Luis Enrique, I have two things to say to you. Obviously, you are an immense coach, certainly the greatest in PSG’s history, but I think this time you may be pushing your advantage too hard.”

Appadoo highlighted several recent decisions by the manager: the half-time substitution of Ousmane Dembélé and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia during the Monaco match, the benching of Lucas Digne in the stands, and what he deemed excessive demands on an already stretched squad. “Last year, I think with this tired squad, you showed intelligence in your management by letting them recover. Now, I find this kind of over-demanding approach—perhaps sending a Ballon d’Or winner to the sidelines, putting a French international player on the bench—I think you need to be careful not to push your advantage too soon.”

To illustrate his point, the journalist invoked two emblematic figures of European football. “Thirty years ago, Arrigo Sacchi was cast aside in his third year by the Dutch and AC Milan’s squad. Yet he was an immense coach. Whereas Zinédine Zidane, in his third year with Real Madrid, knew how to keep his head down, support his players and give them a little care, with the results we all know. So beware of one punch too many.”

PSG return to action soon with the objective of rediscovering victory before the situation becomes entrenched in minds.