Six goals against Villarreal, but Luis Enrique refuses to get carried away with PSG

Paris Saint-Germain inflicted a 6-0 defeat on Villarreal at home on Tuesday evening during matchday 4 of the league phase of the Ligue des Champions. Neves, Doué, Mayulu and Ruiz settled the matter in seventeen minutes, before the Parisians delivered a relentless collective display.

Halfway through this first phase, the Paris club is averaging five goals per match and heading straight towards direct qualification for the round of 16. Yet Luis Enrique immediately refused to let euphoria take hold.

At his press conference, the Spanish manager first expressed genuine discomfort at the scale of the scoreline. “I don’t like this type of result,” he said. “After 0-3, there’s no team that can handle that. It’s hard for opponents to overcome this result.” He nonetheless justified his players’ relentless approach as a form of respect: “We try to respect the opponent by playing the same way all the time. It’s not in our nature as a team to shut down the game or defend the result — we can remember the Ligue des Champions final against Inter. But today, given the circumstances around Villarreal, it’s very difficult for them. I’m not happy to see an opponent in difficulty.”

Beyond the displayed empathy, Luis Enrique’s main message concerned the rest of the competition. Four wins in four matches, an impressive attacking record: none of this inclines him to declare victory. “It means nothing! There will be a European champion and the objective is to be in the final in Madrid. It’s great to qualify directly, but over the last two years we’ve won the title by going through the playoffs. The competition will begin in February, that’s when we’ll need to show our true level,” he warned.

The two-time defending European champion sends a strong signal to his continental rivals, but his manager ensures that no one internally confuses the league phase with the real battle.